Liposuction: Your Best New Year’s Resolution Ally

Making a New Year’s resolution to get in shape? Having a specific goal is of the best ways to help you see your resolution through. For some people, the goal might be to fit into wedding attire, while others may be preparing for a physically challenging vacation. However, not many people think of liposuction as a weight loss motivator—but it can be.

Sometimes, patients considering liposuction at my cosmetic plastic surgery practice in Sacramento and Granite Bay, CA, actually need to lose weight before they can schedule the procedure.

If that seems counter-intuitive, it’s because people often confuse liposuction with weight-loss surgeries such as a gastric bypass. In reality, liposuction is a targeted fat reduction procedure designed for women and men who are within 10 to 15 pounds of their ideal weight. People who are overweight can transform their bodies by first losing those extra pounds and then using liposuction to tone and contour stubborn trouble spots.

Is it easier to lose weight after liposuction?

Everyone needs some encouragement on their path to a healthier lifestyle. Liposuction’s transformative results help motivate people to eat better and exercise more—both before and after the procedure. Liposuction is not a weight loss tool, but instead is a finishing touch to other weight loss efforts.

For example, once someone sheds enough weight to be considered a good liposuction candidate, they often feel so good about the immediate visual change that they commit to making permanent lifestyle changes. As I wrote in an earlier blog post, “Liposuction is actually a supplement to a healthy lifestyle.”

Can you get liposuction on your belly?

Yes, and thanks to advancements in liposuction technology, the procedure can be done on many other areas of the body. It can eliminate stubborn bulges on the upper arms, chin, neck, abdomen, torso, hips, and thighs, creating more attractive contours and a body that’s better proportioned.

If you’re most concerned about your midsection, though, you should talk with your surgeon about whether you should combine your liposuction with a tummy tuck for more dramatic body contouring results.

Does fat come back after lipo?

Liposuction is not a permanent fix if you don’t continue to eat right and stay active. While the fat removed during the procedure is gone for good, if you don’t follow a healthy lifestyle after your procedure, your remaining fat cells can expand. For more information about maintaining your shape after lipo, read this American Society of Plastic Surgeons article.

Is getting liposuction worth it?

Men and women return to my practice to say how liposuction helped them make changes to maintain their new looks. They see photos of the way they looked before liposuction and know they never want to let themselves look that way again. Not only do they love their new look, but they’re also happier with themselves and feel better overall.

You can see before-and-after photos of my actual liposuction patients to see the types of results the procedure can produce. Unlike nonsurgical fat reduction procedures such as CoolSculpting®, which create minimal results, liposuction’s outcomes can be rather dramatic. Seeing yourself in a newly sculpted body is an excellent reason to keep up an active lifestyle and continue healthy eating habits.

If you’re at or near your ideal weight but want to get rid of stubborn areas of fat, the first step is to schedule a personal consultation. You can contact us using the online form to request a consultation or call my plastic surgery practice at (916) 929-1833 (Sacramento) or (916) 773-5559 (Granite Bay) to schedule an appointment.