“Is it possible to gain the fat back after liposuction?”

Hello, risks from liposuction surgery are just like any other surgery, which include infection and bleeding, although extremely rare. Make sure you have it done by a reputable cosmetic or plastic surgeon, to minimize the chance of irregularities, lumpiness, and asymmetry. Just like exercising to lose weight and needing to maintain your weight following the weight loss, so is liposuction. You obviously need to maintain your weight and not over eat. For further inquiries or questions, you may want to visit my website at DrRoyamd@aol.com. Good Luck!!!!

Liposuction is a surgical procedure and therefore has surgical risks. Infection and postoperative bleeding are two risks that can accompany any surgery. These are rare after liposuction. Anesthesia risks can occur with any type of surgery and are highest in people who are older and in people who are significantly overweight. The risk that is particular to liposuction, particularly the abdominal area, is unevenness or dents, which are a cosmetic consideration. A person has a fixed number of fat cells since childhood. We cannot make new fat cells. Therefore, the fat cells which are removed are gone permanently. However, the fat cells which remain can get larger if a patient gains weight. However, since many of the fat cells from the liposuctioned area are now gone, there are fewer fat cells remaining to get larger. Patients will therefore tend to gain most of any weight after surgery in areas other than those areas which are liposuctioned.

Hi and Happy New Year! You are considering abdominal lipocontouring and concerned about risks and regaining the fat removed. These are both excellent questions. First, the risks associated with liposuction are usually rare in well experienced hands, and include seroma (fluid collections) and skin injury, especially with more aggressive liposuction. If conservative, the "sequelae" (expected phases of healing) will likely include some swelling and bruising, that lasts for a few weeks. With respect to gaining the fat back that depends on your diet and corresponding weight changes. If you watch your weight daily and maintain it within 5 lbs of your weight at about 6 months after surgery, the fat around your abdomen will not come back. On the other hand, if you gain weight, you will more likely see an expansion of fat cells "throughout your body", including the abdominal area where you had the liposuction. Since all the fat cells were not removed with safe liposuction from the abdomen, the remaining fat cells can expand as normal fat cells do with high caloric intake and weight gain.

Liposuction does not remove all the fat in any area. The aim is to contour and “match” a problem spot with the rest of the zone in question. So, it is certain that if a patient gains weight, they will also gain in the areas treated, but the basic alteration should be permanent, i.e., you can choose to have a fat or thin version of your new shape. The cells of fat that were removed do not return.
I hope this answers your question.

Dr. M

It is possible to gain fat back and this is why it is important following a liposuction that you follow a healthy lifestyle and diet. So while liposuction WILL permanently remove fat cells, you need to ensure not to gain significant weight affecting your overall results. It will come back, if you allow it to come back! Ensure you see a board certified plastic surgeon.

The risks of the liposuction there are potential loose skin if the amount of fat removed is large. In some cases, there can be some surface irregularities that take time and massage to get better. As to the fat coming back, the fat cells were removed, but not all of them. The fat cells that remained can get bigger with weight gain but the most common problem is going fat in other areas and in areas where liposuction cannot be done, like inside of your abdomen

Hello,

There is no risk. You have to be careful with your eating habits in order not to regain the fat.

If you gain weight after liposuction, you can still gain weight in the areas treated. The proportions tend to be maintained, however. For many patients, the weight gain is more evenly dispersed than pre-op. Find more information on liposuction, including risks and benefits, at: http://tiny.cc/lipo

A detailed examination will help delineate the best surgical option and provide you a custom quote for your situation.

Best,

Dr. David M. Tauber, MD

Generally, in areas where you have liposuction, you do not gain back the weight in that area. That being said if you do gain weight after liposuction, it will go to other areas now.

Yes