Understanding Body Contouring: Is Liposuction Permanent?

When dieting and exercise alone can’t accomplish your aesthetic goals, liposuction may be an excellent solution. This popular body contouring procedure helps slim, contour, and reshape fat-resistant areas that keep you from looking and feeling your best. But patients often wonder, is liposuction permanent?

While liposuction doesn’t make you lose weight, it offers many benefits, including the potential for permanent results. Let’s explore what you can expect after liposuction, including how long results last and how to preserve your slimmer silhouette for many years to come.

Managing Expectations: How Much Weight Can You Lose With Liposuction?

Liposuction helps men and women appear slimmer by removing specific pockets of unwanted fat, but it’s technically not a weight loss procedure. So while you may lose a few pounds after liposuction, it’s more likely that you will notice an improvement in your waistline and the way your clothes fit and flatter your frame. Therefore, we encourage you to focus on your new look after liposuction vs. fixating on the numbers on the scale.

How Long Does Liposuction Last?

Does fat come back after liposuction? The answer depends on how well you preserve your newly svelte physique. You see, while liposuction does permanently remove fat cells, you must maintain a stable weight to avoid undoing your results later down the line as the remaining fat cells can still expand in response to weight gain.

The following tips can help you maximize and preserve the results of your liposuction procedure:

• Eat right. Fuel your slimmer bod with a well-balanced diet featuring healthy, balanced choices and plenty of vitamins and antioxidants.  
• Exercise regularly. Stay active and keep moving to help maintain and enhance the benefits of liposuction.
• Drink plenty of water. Proper hydration keeps your energy level up and helps you maintain a healthy metabolism.
• Relax. Keep stress at bay to avoid weight gain. Incorporate breathing, yoga, meditation, and other relaxation techniques into your daily routine to enhance mental and physical wellness.

Enhance Liposuction Results By Combining Procedures

Many liposuction patients also struggle with excess skin and folds resulting from pregnancy, aging, or significant weight loss. Because liposuction won’t tighten the skin, most candidates need to have good skin elasticity prior to the procedure or will need to consider combining liposuction with a tummy tuck or other surgery. In addition to removing unwanted fat, this approach further tones and tightens the skin. Combining these procedures creates noticeable, dramatic, and long-lasting results for patients with multiple concerns.

Is Liposuction Worth It?

Is liposuction worth getting? The majority of patients say YES. Findings from a recent plastic surgery statistics report released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show that liposuction is the most requested and performed procedure, followed closely by breast augmentation and tummy tuck surgery. Additionally, liposuction patients on the medical review site RealSelf give their procedure an impressive 87% “Worth It” rating. These satisfied patients claim that following liposuction, they have greater confidence, feel younger, their clothes fit better, and they are more motivated to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Are you ready to improve your body image, appearance, and self-confidence with liposuction? We encourage you to view our gallery of before and after body contouring results featuring real patient transformations. Then, please request a consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons or call us at (208) 881-5351 to schedule an appointment.