Liposuction: Is the Fat Removal Permanent?
One common question asked by many potential liposuction patients is…….will the fat come back? Interestingly, the answer to that question is really speculative and highly individual. As there are no long-term studies of liposuction outcomes that have ever been published (and by long term I mean years not months), the answer about maintenance of fat reduction after liposuction surgery is not precisely known.
While liposuction removes a lot of fat cells….and many more probably die from the surgical trauma….a fair amount of fat cells are left behind in any area that has been treated. It is not possible, nor is it desireable, to removal all fat from any area. The skin needs a buffer from the underlying tissues so it does not get ‘stuck down’ and become stiff. Fat, therefore, can return by two methods, either the remaining fat cells get bigger or new fat cells develop from other cells. Either way, it is apparent that undesired amounts of fat can return. I always tell a patient that their long-term liposuction results are highly influenced by their weight. If their weight remains fairly stable, the liposuction result will likely be maintained. If they gain weight, fat is going to develop somewhere. The question in weight gain then becomes….will the fat go back to where it was liposuctioned….or will it develop in new places?
My observation in the regaining of fat after liposuction is that….. in some patients it comes back from where it was removed…..and in other patients it develops in new areas. It is impossible for me to tell what will happen in any patient after liposuction. As a result, I encourage all patients to think carefully about being prepared to invest in the maintenance of their liposuction result before incurring the effort and expense.
Dr Barry Eppley
Indianapolis. Indiana