Battling excess weight can be hard, and frustration can easily lead you on a search for every tool and option available. This is when many people look to liposuction as a means to lose weight and feel more confident in their skin.
Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure that removes fat you can’t seem to get rid of with diet and exercise. But while liposuction can be valuable to some people, it is not a “one procedure fix” to cure obesity or permanently shed excess weight.
How Liposuction Works
Liposuction was originally intended to focus on and treat only minor contour irregularities. In other words, it targets the outer layer of fat in specific areas of the body to give the patient a different aesthetic.
If you are diagnosed with obesity or your weight is problematic for health reasons, liposuction is not a cure or treatment. Still, many advertisements falsely depict it as a very effective weight-loss option that can give anybody the “beach body” they’ve dreamed of.
Types of Fat
Liposuction doesn’t work as a “cure” for a more serious weight condition because of how it targets fat. It removes only subcutaneous fat, not visceral fat, and humans have both.
- Subcutaneous Fat: This type of fat is found below the layer of skin called the epidermis. This is the type of tissue you can pinch externally, and it’s common in people with “pear-shaped” body types. It is typically easier to lose and has a far less negative impact on health than visceral fat.
- Visceral Fat: This type of fat is located in the abdominal cavity and surrounds internal organs like the heart, liver and pancreas. This body type is often referred to as “apple-shaped.” Visceral fat can cause serious health conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. It is a lot harder to lose, and scientists believe this type of fat acts like its own organ by secreting substances that affect other organs negatively.
Conclusion
Yes, liposuction can help you lose weight, but it only targets the superficial layer of fat and serves more of an aesthetic purpose. It does not remove visceral fat, which is deeper in the body and far more dangerous. Therefore, it is not a “cure” for obesity or serious problems with weight.
Even after having liposuction, a patient can still regain lost weight and end up storing both types of fat. No matter how weight is lost, it has to be maintained for the long-term through a healthy lifestyle and preferably under a physician’s care.
