Liposuction is an incredible treatment that allows you to remove fat and achieve slimming results that look natural. When fat is removed from your body during Liposuction, that fat is gone for good. Some assume that their Liposuction results will be permanent, but how long your results last will depend on your choices after surgery.

After Liposuction, you’re still susceptible to weight gain, and the remaining fat cells can get bigger, undoing all of your efforts. To achieve and maintain the best long-term Liposuction results, use this general guideline before and after your treatment.

Liposuction Permanently Removes Fat

While several different liposuction techniques are commonly used today, all variations focus on a singular goal: removing fat cells from a targeted (localized) area of the body. All liposuction procedures use the combination of a cannula (a hollow tube) and an aspirator (suctioning device) to suction out unwanted fat.

It is important to note that Liposuction does, in fact, permanently remove fat cells from the body. However, it is entirely up to you to maintain your results.

Unfortunately, It’s Possible For Fat To Return

Fat can return after Liposuction if you allow it to. In general, the more weight a patient gains after Liposuction, the less dramatic their results will be. Unwanted fat will not return, and your ideal results will remain only if a person maintains their “post-lipo weight.” For example, if a patient weighed 150 pounds before Liposuction and had a total of 6 pounds removed through the procedure, fat will stay away if the patient maintains their weight at or below 144 pounds.

If the patient gains a small amount of weight after their procedure, even a tiny amount of weight gain, like 5 pounds, will become more prominent throughout the body. While this slight weight gain can diminish results, the overall improved body shape provided by a liposuction procedure will still be visible as treated body areas have fewer fat cells (and thus experience a lower enlargement rate) than surrounding areas.

Considerable Weight Gain

In instances of considerable weight gain, defined as 10% or more of a person’s body weight, new fat cells can develop in all body areas, including treated areas. However, since new fat cell creation typically occurs consistently throughout the body, fat often accumulates less in treated areas than areas where Liposuction was performed. Many liposuction patients who gain considerable post-procedure weight tend to look better than if they did not undergo Liposuction even with considerable weight gain because of the fat redistribution.

Tips For Permanently Maintaining Your Results

The most effective method for maintaining treatment results after any fat removal treatment is to maintain your ideal weight. Incorporating and sticking to these healthy lifestyle changes following your procedure will help to keep your newly trimmed physique in its ideal after-treatment condition.

Stay Properly Hydrated

Increasing the amount of water you drink every day can help you lose weight, in addition to keeping your weight stable after Liposuction. We recommend that our patients who have undergone Liposuction drink at least 64 ounces of water per day. In doing so, you should continue to lose weight and while cohesively maintaining treatment results. Choosing to drink water rather than other calorie-filled drinks like soda will help to keep your body hydrated and your results long-lasting.

Exercise Regularly

Many Liposuction patients choose to undergo the treatment because they have already experienced significant weight loss through diet and exercise; however, they still have unwanted stubborn fat pockets. This type of patient already realizes the significance of utilizing exercise to lose weight and keep it off and is an excellent example of why it’s critical to stay active after Liposuction to maintain your results.

The two types of exercise we recommend most to our patients are:

Aerobic Exercise 

Most providers will recommend gentle movement within 48 hours following Liposuction. For the first three weeks after the procedure, strenuous exercise, including aerobics and running, should be avoided. However, once the three-week waiting period has passed, your strength will need to be gradually regained to maintain your liposuction results, and aerobic exercise is an attractive choice for keeping your body moving.

Resistant Exercise 

During the first three weeks after Liposuction, most providers will recommend that their patients begin resistance training. Once the treatment area has regained functionality, you should begin exercising. Start slowly and gradually increase your amount of effort. Resistance exercises include any exercise that incorporates short workouts with a rubber band and small hand weights.

Increase Your General Activity Level

Incorporating aerobic and resistance exercises into your life after surgery is a crucial piece in keeping your results. Liposuction patients should also plan to increase their general activity level to keep the body active and in good overall physical condition. A sedentary lifestyle may cause the skin to sag in areas that were treated. To avoid unwanted side effects like sagging skin, increasing general activity levels will help keep your Liposuction results looking great.

Alter Your Diet

Liposuction can smooth out the budging areas of your body, and making healthy diet choices will help keep stubborn bulges of unwanted fat from returning. The most reliable way to prevent excess fat is to eat a healthy diet low in fat, sugar, and processed foods. Choose low-fat, lean foods full of protein, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat meat with visible fat removed for a healthy diet. Incorporating plenty of fiber into your diet will help to make your liposuction results easy to maintain.

We also recommend focusing on eating smaller meals throughout the day, never skipping meals, reducing general caloric intake, and keeping your diet focused on lean proteins, vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates.

Follow All Post-Procedure Instructions

Every surgical procedure requires a recovery phase, and each person’s body heals differently. After Liposuction, the recovery phase allows your body to heal and learn to live without the weight it used to carry. With the correct understanding and following all post-procedure instructions from your provider, you can recover quickly and in a healthy way.

Make a plan for your recovery, so you know how much time your body will need to bounce back and when to begin adding in the proper exercises to maintain your results.

With a Healthy Lifestyle, Liposuction Results Can Last a Lifetime

Liposuction is an attractive treatment option for anyone at their ideal weight or within 30% of their ideal weight while still having disproportionate localized deposits of fat. When diet and exercise have proven ineffective for reducing stubborn fat, Liposuction may be the right treatment option for you. To learn more about how to maintain Liposuction results and if this fat removal treatment is the right option for you, schedule a consultation with Hinsdale Vein & Laser today.