As a form of surgical procedure, liposuction is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries around the world. The problem with this is that there are just so many misconceptions and misunderstandings about it to justify how popular it is, you’d expect something that‘s being performed on thousands of people every day around the world to have all it’s information visible online. To help combat the spread of misinformation, we’ve listed some of the most commonly shared misconceptions about liposuction on the internet and set the record straight on them below;
Liposuction will be able to help you to lose weight
We’ll start with the most common and most well known misconception about liposuction which is that it will help you to lose weight. A lot of people have the belief that liposuction can be used to get rid of an almost infinite amount of fat from the treated area of the body, but in reality this is not the case at all. The best candidate for surgery is someone who is within around 30% of their healthy weight range with localized pockets of fat that they are looking to reduce. The truth to any weight loss is that most patients lose somewhere between 2-5 pounds during surgery, but it’s not usually anything more significant than this.
Liposuction is suitable for treating cellulite
Cellulite, while it is made up of fat, isn’t just a pocket of fat beneath the skin. Cellulite actually happens when the fat beneath the skin pushes on fibrous bands that connect the tissues underneath to the skin itself. This pushing and pulling causes the dimpled and bumpy appearance that characterizes cellulite as a condition. Liposuction is performed to remove the soft fatty tissue (and nothing else) so it won’t have any effect on the fibrous bands that connect the skin to the underlying tissue which cause the appearance of cellulite.
Fat that is removed is able to come back
This one is a complete myth and liposuction is considered as a permanent solution. Once the fat cells have been removed from the body, it is impossible for them to grow back as they are no longer inside the body. However, any remaining fat cells that are still present will be able to grow and expand into the now vacant area if there is an excessive amount of calorie consumption. It’s important to make sure that a healthy diet and exercise regime is followed to ensure that the results remain permanent.
Liposuction is used as an easy way out
As we have already touched on, liposuction is not a surgical method of weight loss and while it does remove a small amount of fat (and a couple of pounds with it) it is most certainly not something that can be used to avoid living a healthy lifestyle. Liposuction is designed to streamline and add a contour to localized areas of fat on the body and ideally for someone who is considered to be within a healthy weight range for their height, age and gender.
Liposuction can’t be performed on older patients
Liposuction is able to be performed on any patient, providing that they are in good health and have undergone a positive medical consultation prior to surgery. As we age, the skin naturally loses its firmness and elasticity which can cause problems with the skins ability to mould itself to the new contour which is where additional surgeries such as tummy tuck surgery can be performed at the same time to provide improved results.
Liposuction is a surgery just for women
While it is more popular within women than men (and this is probably down to things such as Instagram portraying the ideal image of a female body), liposuction is actually incredible popular within men as well. The most commonly requested areas for men are the abdomen, love handles and chest (which again could relate to the influence of social media on modern society).
It’s the perfect answer to belly fat
During the surgery, liposuction is only used to target subcutaneous fat (which in basic terms is the fat cells that are located beneath the skin but above any muscle tissue). If there is an abundance of subcutaneous fat in the targeted area then liposuction would be the perfect answer to fighting away the excess fat on the belly, however, there are other kinds of fat that can cause the abdomen to look bigger. Visceral fat (which is located underneath the muscle and around the organs) isn’t something that can be treated using liposuction and this requires a straight exercise and diet regime to be followed.
You’ll be back to normal in no time at all
Although it is performed as an outpatient surgery, liposuction (just like all other surgical procedures) comes with some period of downtime and recovery. The most noticeable and common side effects include bruising and swelling around the treated area, but it’s always possible that more severe side effects can occur. Everyone is different and will heal at their own pace, but it’s heavily advised to take at least one week off work to allow yourself to rest and recover before getting back to your normal daily grind. Generally, it will take around 4 to 6 weeks before your body is ready to resume exercise or any form of strenuous activities.
To find out more information on liposuction and how it can help you, visit our liposuction surgery page. If you feel like you’re ready to book in, the best thing you can do is book a consultation with a member of our team who will go through any questions you have and everything you need to know prior to surgery.