Losing weight can be hard to do. You have a hectic schedule and you need to find time for regular exercise. You also need to limit your calories (hello hunger pains), avoid your favorite 1500 calorie dishes, and preferably say “no” to soda and dessert so you can say “goodbye” to those intense sugar cravings, which can derail your diet.
Liposuction...it sounds like the “magic bullet” for weight loss. You imagine that all you do is go to sleep and when the procedure is all over, you wake up a slimmer, firmer version of you. Is it that easy? Unfortunately, it isn’t because as much as we’d like it to be, liposuction is NOT a substitute for weight loss.
Not a Weight Loss Tool
Contrary to popular belief, liposuction is not a weight loss tool. A lot of people who are overweight mistakenly believe that a board-certified plastic surgeon will tell them that liposuction is an alternative to losing weight naturally through diet and exercise. If you were hoping that liposuction could help you avoid committing to a healthier diet, eating less calories, and hitting the gym, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. (Sorry!)
In reality, our Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Yuly Gorodisky, will often recommend that a patient be no more than 20 pounds above their ideal weight before they get liposuction. He’ll also recommend that they be in good health, not be a smoker, and that they have firm, elastic skin.
Liposuction cannot do these things:
- It cannot get rid of cellulate, but there are other procedures that can help reduce the appearance of it.
- As much as we’d like it to be, it’s not a permanent fix. If you become pregnant or gain weight, either can alter the original results. How? While liposuction does permanently remove some of a person’s fat cells, the fat cells that remained can still increase in size. So, for patients who assume that liposuction can eliminate the need for them to eat right and exercise to maintain their weight, they’re wrong.
- Even after liposuction, you may need another skin-tightening procedure. If your skin has poor elasticity, it may not “snap back” after liposuction. So, surgery may be necessary to remove the excess skin.
Related: Liposuction vs. CoolScultping, Which One is Right for Me?
Liposuction is an amazing procedure that can deliver more dramatic results than CoolSculpting, but it’s not magical. If you’re interested in learning more about the procedure, contact our office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Gorodisky.