By Liposuction is known to help slim and reshape many bodies by removing excess stubborn fats which cannot be burned away through dieting or exercising. Many might see it as a quick fix for obesity, but liposuction is not a weight loss procedure! It is designed as a treatment only for fat removal in specific areas and is not suitable for those who are obese. So what are the pros and cons of liposuction?
What is liposuction?
Liposuction is a type of body contouring cosmetic procedure that targets to remove unwanted stubborn fats in specific areas of your face and body. It is technically not a weight-loss solution but the procedure can help patients to reshape and contour their body to achieve a tighter, more toned and contoured appearance.
You are a candidate for liposuction if you have too much body fat yet have a stable body weight. And you will need to be in good health too. The ideal candidate for liposuction is one whose body weight is within 30% of their ideal weight, has firm and elastic skin, and is in good health.
As with any type of treatments, there are always advantages and disadvantages. Read along to find out about the pros and cons of liposuction.
Pros of liposuction
1. Minimally invasive & safe
Liposuction is a minimally invasive and relatively safe procedure with a low risk of major complications. It involves only some small incisions so you don’t have to worry about scarring. Moreover, recovery period is short so most patients can resume their normal routine in a week or two.
2. Quick fix for problem areas
If you have excess fats that cannot be removed by dieting or exercising, liposuction might be your best bet. Besides being a relatively safe procedure, liposuction can easily target and remove stubborn fats in problem areas such as stomach, thighs, upper arms, chin and more.
3. Instant results
Diet and exercise can slim and shape your body but the results can be slow to show and sometimes, you might not be able to fully achieve the toned body that you want. On the other hand, the results of liposuction are instant and visible immediately.
4. Permanent & long-lasting results
Liposuction permanently removes fat cells from your body. And once your stubborn fat cells are removed, they are permanently gone and will not grow back. Therefore, liposuction not only gives a firm, smooth look to your skin and body, but also produces long-lasting results. As long as your weight remains stable, you can expect the benefits of your liposuction to continue.
Read our article on permanency of liposuction for more details.
5. Enhance your body shape
By removing excess stubborn fats, liposuction can help enhance your body contours and make you appear slimmer and more toned. It helps you to achieve your desired face and body contours, such as a slimmer jawline and a more curvy body.
6. Boost your self-esteem
If your heavy weight and body shape is making you feel self-conscious and suffer from a low self-esteem, by shedding unwanted fats from your body through liposuction, you will boost your body confidence and encourage a positive self-image. By being comfortable with your new body, you will start to feel more confident, if not restore your self-confidence.
7. Improve your health
Naturally, your body will produce fat cells. However, having too many fat cells can increase your risk of heart disease. It may also help with, or completely remove, lipomas, in certain areas of the body. By removing these excess fat cells through liposuction, you can improve your heart health and reduce other health risks associated with obesity.
8. Enhance other parts of your face & body
Apart from achieving a slimmer and toner body from liposuction, you can also put those extracted fats to use by enhancing other areas of your face and body through fat grafting. Fat grafting can help you:
- Look younger by restoring volume on your face with facial fat grafting
- Enhance and contour your buttocks with brazilian butt lift
- Get bigger breasts with breast augmentation by fat grafting
- Rejuvenate wrinkled and bony hand with hand fat grafting
9. Inspire healthy living
As a matter of fact, liposuction can inspire a greater commitment to healthy living. Because once you have achieved your desired body weight and shape, you will be more motivated and committed to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle to sustain your liposuction results. In addition, being confident with your body and having a positive self-image will also help inspire an active lifestyle.
Cons of liposuction
1. Limit to amount of fat removal
Liposuction is not intended as a weight loss procedure so patients should be within their ideal weight range before getting liposuction. Furthermore, removing too much fats in a day can result in fatal complications so make sure that your plastic surgeon does not exceed the amount of fats allowed to be removed in a day.
2. Cannot help stretch marks, cellulite & loose skin
Though liposuction can effectively remove unwanted fat cells, unfortunately, it cannot address issues such as stretch marks, dimpling from cellulite, or loose skin resulted from weight loss.
3. Not perpetual
Ok, to be honest, nothing is perpetual. Results of liposuction are often permanent, but can still be affected by future weight gain, pregnancy, and aging.
4. Contour irregularities
Uneven fat removal, poor skin elasticity, unusual healing and damage beneath the skin from the cannula used during liposuction procedures can cause your skin to appear bumpy or wavy.
5. Fluid accumulation
Sometimes, temporary pockets of fluid (seromas) form under the skin but it is not life threatening and the fluid can be drained with a needle.
6. Surgical risks
As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved and liposuction is not an exception. General or local anesthesia will be used, and that may cause complications for those with underlying diseases or health conditions. Other risks such as skin infections, temporary nerve irritations, puncture of internal organs by cannulas, skin necrosis, are very rare in occurrence but still possible.
Conclusion
While liposuction is not a substitute for a healthy living lifestyle, and it does have its pros and cons, it can still improve various aspects of your life such as your health and body shape. And that in turn, encourages positive self-image and improves mental and emotional health.
As a matter of fact, after undergoing liposuction, most patients tend to develop healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise and good dieting, in order to maintain the results of their liposuction procedure.
That said, any surgery involves some form of risk and liposuction is not an exception. But you can greatly minimize these risks by making sure your procedure is performed by a professional and experienced board certified plastic surgeon.
What do you think?