These are some questions that patients and lay public and even some doctors ask frequently. Kindly go through this section, our question may be answered here. You may also send specific queries by filling out the form under ‘Ask Your Questions’.
Can liposuction be done on all parts of body?
It can be done in most parts of the body where there is fat under the skin. However it is usually not done in the forearm, ankle area, hands and feet, lower part of neck, back of neck [with some exceptions]etc. In the face it is a special indication and is used for sculpting the face to a leaner look.
How many kilos can I lose by liposuction?
Liposuction is NOT A WEIGHT LOSS surgery. This fact is most important. Any weight loss is incidental and is not the purpose of the surgery. It surprises many people to know that the best candidate for liposuction is a person of normal or near normal stable weight but having issues with unwanted fat accumulations distorting the body shape. Usually we do not exceed 4-6 litres of fat aspirate, which equates to a weight loss of 4 kg max.
Will my tummy be flat after liposuction?
This depends on many factors, mainly on how much fat you have deep behind the muscle layer i.e inside the abdominal cavity. This fat is NOT removed in liposuction. Only the SUPERFICIAL fat above the muscles is removed.
How can I know if I will benefit from liposuction for my tummy?
The best way to know this is as follows: Stand sideways in front of a mirror and pull your abdomen IN by contracting the muscles. If there is a huge change, then you have most of the fat deep inside – not a good candidate! Next, keeping the muscles tense, try to take a big grab of the skin and as much fat as you can gather in one hand. If that is a lot, then this part can be removed by liposuction.
Can the fat in love handles and the roll of fat below the bra strap removed?
Absolutely, these are some of the best areas.
I want whole body liposuction, can this be done?
This is a frequent question. We do not perform whole body liposuction, it is not safe. No more than 40% of the body area is treated in one session and no more than 10% of body weight equivalent fat is removed [often much less will do]. Beyond this we enter risky territory.
Can I repeat the liposuction whenever I need?
One area is usually treated completely at the first instance and this is often the final in most cases. Some may benefit from touch up session particularly if there is asymmetry. Subsequent liposuctions are increasingly difficult, risky and produce less and less benefit. This is why it is important to do a good job the first time.
What happens to the excess skin after liposuction, will it hang?
This depends on the elasticity of the skin, amount of skin excess and whether there are already stretch marks. The skin has to shrink down to the new size after liposuction. In general, skin with stretch marks has already lost it’s ability to shrink after liposuction. Similarly, the older the age, less is the ability of the skin to shrink.
Again if there have been a lot of weight swings the skin has less elasticity and therefore shrinks less.
With these many variables, it is clear that only after examination can the doctor predict if this skin will shrink or not
However, almost all skin types do shrink after liposuction, only the extent varies. The surgeon can also do some superficial suctioning just under the skin to enhance skin retraction.
So what happens to excess skin if it does not shrink?
This excess will have to be removed by using cuts in hidden areas. For the abdomen we do a mini-tummy tuck and for the inner thigh, a thigh lift type cut can be made where the thigh joins the body [close to the genital area]. In the arm the cut is kept hidden in the under-arm area.
Will the fat come back after liposuction?
One must read the following statement carefully! Liposuction PERMANENTLY removes fat from the TREATED AREA. But fat can still accumulate in untreated areas if the person continues to eat more calories than what he/she expends by exercise. So the bottomline is that in a person with stable weight and healthy lifestyle, lipo gives permanent benefit.
The removed fat does not go anywhere else except into the collection bottle on the liposuction pump!
Can I get liposuction for my child, she is already overweight and chubby?
Liposuction is currently not recommended for children. The obese child must be put on a reducing diet and exercises.
Can liposuction reduce a heavy breast?
Yes it can but only in selected cases.