Does The Fat Come Back After Liposuction?

If you have been considering liposuction, you are probably already familiar with how it works: through tiny incisions, fat is suctioned from your thighs, abdomen, back, or other body area with unsightly fat deposits. Your body is rid of a significant amount of fat from whichever area of your body you choose, you’re back at the office within a week and you’re showing off your more sculpted body at the gym or on the beach within a couple of months. The complication rate is low and the satisfaction rate is high. Some questions remain, and the one I hear most frequently is: Does the fat come back after the liposuction?

It depends on who you ask.

There are members of the medical community who are not surprised that some liposuction patients, even after having liters of fat suctioned off, quickly return to their pre-procedure weight. Their explanation is that our bodies fight hard to get the fat back, thanks largely to our genetic program that assumes we should be prepared for the next famine. This concept was highlighted in 2011 University of Colorado study suggesting that a year after liposuction, one can expect the suctioned off fat to return one way or the other.

Conversely, plenty of cosmetic surgeons say they haven’t seen the weight return to their liposuction patients. In response to the University of Colorado study, these surgeons point out that the sample size was extremely small (32 women) and it’s difficult to draw any firm conclusions from that number. More recently, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a well regarded surgical journal, published a study that directly refutes the findings of the University of Colorado study. Namely, this study evaluated 301 patients having liposuction and revealed no evidence of fat re-growth.

With all that controversy you may be wondering if there anything cosmetic surgeons can agree on. Well there is one issue that seems to have unanimous consensus among liposuction surgeons: exercise

As in, you should most definitely exercise and make it part of your lifestyle after getting liposuction. As popular as the procedure is, it is not a substitute for diet and exercise. Instead, view it as a springboard, a head start, to a healthier lifestyle. Even studies suggesting fat can return to a patient post liposuction clearly showed that post procedure exercise kept the fat off. Liposuction, especially when paired with a healthy diet and exercise, can and will lead to a better you.

So what does this all mean? Does the fat come back? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. What is certain though is if you commit to a little exercise after the procedure, it really doesn’t matter. An apple a day is fine for keeping the doctor away. Post liposuction, think of it more like, a little exercise every day keeps the fat away. You’ll be healthier. You’ll feel good. You’ll look the best you ever have.

If you want to learn more about liposuction, GLOW offers complimentary consultations. We’re happy to discuss the procedure with you and talk about what to expect before, during and after the procedure. One of our cosmetic surgeons will meet with you and answer whatever questions you might have, and go over what you have in mind and give you an honest opinion on what kind of results you can expect. It’s about creating an even better, healthier version of you, and we’re here to help in any way we can.

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