subject: Is Liposuction Ever Good For Your Health? [print this page] Just about everyone has heard that being obese or overly overweight isn't good for your health. At doctor's appointments, in health classes, in health pamphlets and public service messages, people keep telling Americans that it's just easier on your body if you aren't carrying too much excess weight. Having too much fat can cause joint problems, increase one's chances of getting diabetes, increase one's chances of heart disease, and generally decrease one's quality of life.
And so, Americans fight the battle of the bulge. Fad diets and fad workout routines seem to be perennially popular. Any time you switch on the TV, there's an ad for some high-tech device which can give you the workout you really need--without all of the effort and time. Whenever you go to the book store, you can see the bestselling books which lay out exactly what you should and shouldn't eat in order to lose fat and get to your optimal weight.
One other thing extremely popular thing which has its roots in the disparity between America's concept of the ideal weight and the actual physical reality most people experience is liposuction (also known as lipoplasty and suction lipectomy). Lipoplasty is a surgical technique which uses advanced hollow needles called cannulas to suction fat from a patient's body. It is growing in popularity as more celebrities and "everyday Americans" alike turn to this procedure to help them to sculpt and smooth their bodies.
There's no doubt that the surgery can help to trim and streamline a person's body, thus improving their appearance. But can the surgery actually help someone's health significantly by removing the fat? The answer, unfortunately, is no. Although people are used to turning to diet and exercise to lose fat, losing fat is by no means the only benefits of healthy living. Exercising and eating right keeps your lungs, heart and muscles healthy, it provides adequate nutrition for all of your bodies organ systems and it helps your body to release toxins. The physical act of exercising causes your body to release endorphins, and research shows that exercising helps to reduce stress. These are just a few of the benefits that a healthy lifestyle can bring. Healthy habits increase the length and quality of life.
Removing fat via liposuction cannot give the vast majority of these benefits. A lipoplasty cannot typically remove enough fat from the right places to change a person's metabolism or improve their health, and it offers none of the cardiovascular or muscular benefits of exercise. It is similarly unable to offer the nutritional benefits of a low-fat, healthy diet.
Lipoplasties work best when they are treated as a toning and slimming tool, rather than as an actual weight-loss program.
