subject: Is Liposuction An Appropriate Treatment For Obesity? [print this page] Often liposuction is thought of as a quick weight loss solution for obesity. This is not the case. Unless obese patients make a significant change in calorie intake and exercise habits, any weight lost through surgery will be gained back. The results of the procedure will not be permanent or effective if there is no change in lifestyle. When liposuction has been used as a weight loss surgery, and excessive amounts of fat are removed there has been a much higher increase in complications. It has been concluded that it is not safe to remove large amounts of fat in surgery. Removing more than 8 to 10 pounds in a single day is dangerous.
If liposuction is not a good treatment for obesity, what is it a good treatment for? The surgery is more appropriately used on localized accumulations of fat. Localized fat can often be resistant to diet and exercise. Even if you live a healthy lifestyle you may have areas of the body where you don't seem to lose any weight. The hips, abdomen, and under the chin are a few areas which are typically resistant to weight loss. These areas can be targeted by liposuction and the results are typically permanent unless a large amount of weight is gained.
There are also areas of the body which are resistant to weight loss because of genetics. When you pass the age of thirty your body will often distribute fat based on a genetic patters which you inherited from your parents. If the fat distributes unevenly there may be areas of the body that you feel are out of proportion, or which are difficult to slim down using appropriate diet and exercise. These are the cases when liposuction would change the silhouette of the body and actually make a long lasting difference in the appearance of the body.
You will want to choose which area or areas that you want to focus on for surgery. As mentioned, it is only safe to remove 8 to 10 pounds of fat in a single day. This can be removed from one target area, or spread between a small handful of target areas. It is unwise to operate on too many different areas in one day as well, even if you stay below 10 pounds. Operation on a lot of areas will increase the chances of surgical trauma.
While liposuction should not be used as a treatment for obesity, it can help give you shape and target problem areas that you feel you have. Diet and exercise should always be an important part of your lifestyle regardless of any surgery you receive.
