A lot of people have achieved their fitness goals with diet and exercise. However, many are still dealing with stubborn areas of fat that just won’t go away even after countless planks and sit ups. If you’re having the same problem, liposuction may help.
But one thing you need to understand is that liposuction isn’t safe for everybody. It’s definitely not for someone who is obese or overweight and want to lose weight. It’s also not for those who are past the age of 45, as well as people with serious medical conditions.
The popularity of liposuction continues to grow in leaps and bounds. In 2018, an estimated 258,000 individuals went in for the procedure. But while most may have the impression that liposuction is an easy and quick procedure, it’s still surgery and should not be taken ever so lightly. It’s relatively safe but there are still some associated risks involved especially for those with health issues.
To find out if liposuction is right for you, read on.
Before you go in for liposuction, the surgeon will evaluate and decide if you are a good candidate based on factors like your skin quality, weight, and overall health.
Those who are pregnant, with blood-clotting disorders or with severe heart problems should not get liposuction. They are at very high risk for life-threatening complications such as bleeding or excessive blood loss.
Other factors that increase your risk of complications include:
- Age – anyone over 18 can undergo liposuction but those who are over 45 may face risk of complications like infection, hematoma and blood clot.
- BMI – individuals with higher BMI may put themselves at risk of blood clots after surgery.
- Habits – chronic smokers are also discouraged from getting liposuction as they tend to have a higher risk of developing skin necrosis (death of cells) after liposuction.
- Skin Quality – Doctors recommend getting liposuction in areas where the skin has good elasticity.
- Weight – Liposuction can remove extra fat but it’s not designed as a weight loss procedure. If you’re obese, you won’t get good results from it – it’ll only end with an uneven body shape or contour irregularities.
Other Considerations
Liposuction can only be performed on certain body parts such as the abdomen, torso, legs, arms, breasts, around your chin and breasts. These areas have a lot of subcutaneous fat, which is basically the jiggly fat that lies just under your skin. It can’t remove visceral fat, or the fat that envelops your organs (beer belly). This fat can be reduced with exercise and a healthy diet.
Lastly, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons asserts that doctors should not remove more than 5 liters of fat (11 pounds) regardless of the patient’s weight or fat composition. Doing so can be very dangerous. Surgeries like gastric bypass, which reduces stomach size, may be recommended for obese patients as they can lose almost a third of their body weight with this procedure.
If you are looking for alternatives to traditional liposuction, AirSculpting and Athenix Body Sculpting are currently popular options.