What Happens to Fat Cells During Liposuction vs. Weight Loss?
For many of us who don’t have the so-called “skinny genes,” achieving our ideal weight and body type can be difficult despite our best efforts. Even if the number on the scale corresponds with a healthy body mass index, there may be one or two stubborn areas that diet and exercise can’t mold according to our preference.
Hormones, aging, biological sex, and pregnancy are other factors that make it difficult to lose weight in general or in specific areas. Our bodies distribute fat in various ways, and each of us can carry fat differently.
From hourglass bodies to pear and apple shapes, many Scottsdale plastic surgery patients hope to enhance their bodies by removing unwanted fat from isolated locations. Liposuction is one of the most popular body contouring procedures for such goals.
Addressing Misconceptions About Liposuction
A common misunderstanding is that liposuction is a weight loss tool. The procedure has several benefits but will deliver different wellness benefits than weight loss from a balanced diet and regular exercise.
Some also confuse liposuction with gastric bypass surgery. The latter requires making changes to your digestive system for weight loss, and the radiology equipment can accommodate people who weigh up to 450 pounds. In contrast, most plastic surgeons recommend being within 30 pounds of your goal weight and being in a good state of health before undergoing liposuction.
Candidates for liposuction have maintained a normal body weight but have specific, problematic areas. Excessive fat around the hips (a.k.a. the infamous love handles), below-the-skin belly “pouch,” bat wings on the arms, and a double chin are common issues that liposuction can address.
Adults Have a Fixed Number of Fat Cells
Researchers found that the amount of fat cells in adults remains constant throughout their life. Even with weight fluctuations, our personal “storehouses” can only expand to a certain degree.
If you know someone with the same height and weight as yourself, you may notice that despite your similarities, their hips, belly, or other body parts may be bigger or smaller than yours. This is because, as mentioned earlier, our bodies distribute fat in various ways. The aforementioned factors also play a role. For example, even if two adult women have the same weight, height, and number of fat cells, their genes and hormones will drive fat deposition around the thighs, pelvis, buttocks, etc. differently.
Losing Weight in Certain Trouble Areas Is “Impossible”
Studies show that exercises targeting fat reduction in certain areas are ineffective.
In one study, 24 people whose workout routines targeted the abdominal core found no reduction in belly fat after six weeks.
A 2014 study that observed 40 overweight and obese biological women for 12 weeks concluded that resistance training focused on reducing fat in the stomach is ineffective.
Research on the efficacy of upper body resistance training found similar results. According to the 12-week study’s results, the 104 people who completed a training program centered on reducing fat in their non-dominant arms successfully lost a few pounds. However, the weight loss was more apparent throughout the entire body, not the arm.
The Difference Between Normal Weight Loss and Liposuction
Healthy living has always been a doctor-approved way to slim down and maintain weight loss.
Dropping pounds through conventional means, such as healthy eating and exercising, does not actually eliminate fat. Instead, the fat cells shrink in response to some lipid contents being used up. Of course, these cells can expand again if you gain weight. Because these fat cells are still in your body, you are more likely to regain lost weight.
Healthy and normal weight loss practices are also the only way to reduce visceral fat — the hard, protruding fat surrounding your internal abdominal organs. Excessive visceral fat is a prevalent health hazard. It can lead to high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, and obesity. Together, these health issues increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
It’s important to understand that even the best liposuction in Scottsdale cannot remove visceral fat. The procedure only reduces the subcutaneous fat that accumulates beneath the skin.
How Liposuction Works
If your dedication to working out and eating a nutritious diet has yet to achieve your desired physique, body contouring surgery might help.
Liposuction permanently removes fat cells below the skin’s surface. It doesn’t eliminate your body’s ability to gain weight (there is no such proven method). Still, any weight you gain following surgery is more likely to go to an area of your body that has not had liposuction. This technique effectively removes fat in locations that are resistant to exercise routines and diet plans.
How Much Fat Can Liposuction Remove?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved liposuction in Phoenix, AZ, to extract a maximum limit of 11 pounds, which is equivalent to 5,000 milliliters of fat.
Lipo patients lose up to five pounds post-op. Aside from your addressed problematic areas, you won’t notice extreme weight loss results from this surgery. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, keeping up with your healthy lifestyle following liposuction will help enhance your results and maintain your desired body proportions.
What Is Power-Assisted Liposuction?
The doctors at Guerra Plastic Surgery Center specialize in an advanced fat-reduction technique called power-assisted liposuction. Compared to traditional lipo, the advantages of power-assisted fat removal surgery include:
- Better contouring
- Reduced bruising and swelling
- Less bleeding
- Faster recovery
- Reduced time in the recovery room under anesthesia
Read What Are the Advantages of Power-Assisted Liposuction? for a complete guide to this body contouring procedure.
Takeaway
Liposuction is one of the United States’ most sought-after plastic surgery procedures, as more individuals embrace cosmetic enhancements and endeavor to fulfill their desired body aesthetic. Although more women pursue this procedure, it can also help male patients achieve a physique that they would otherwise struggle to attain with diet and exercise alone.
If you are looking for a safe and reliable means of addressing pockets of fat in your abdomen, hips, thighs, flanks, calves, upper arms, neck, and chin, Guerra Plastic Surgery Center is home to some of the best liposuction surgeons in Scottsdale and Phoenix, AZ. We will not only focus on removing stubborn fat cells, but also enhance your body contours and ensure your treated areas are in perfect harmony with the rest of your body. Contact us now to schedule a consultation with our board-certified liposuction specialists.