30 Mar Diet and Exercise vs. Liposuction (and Why Lipo Wins!)
Most people want to lose a little weight here and there at some point in their lives, which sends them to gyms, nutritionists, and even trying out the latest diet fads. However, at John Park MD Plastic Surgery, patients come to understand that diet and exercise alone can only shrink fat cells—healthy habits don’t get rid of them. Of course it’s important to have a healthy diet and partake in a moderate amount of exercise, but diet and exercise alone doesn’t vanquish targeted fat for good. Only liposuction can do that.
Everybody is born with unique fat cell amounts and distribution. If you’ve tried to lose weight at the gym or with a diet, you’ve probably heard that you can’t “spot reduce.” That can be frustrating when your ultimate goal is to lose fat in specific locations while keeping it in others. One of the most common examples is women who are working towards that desirable hourglass shape. A lot of women want to get rid of fat in the tummy but keep it in the breasts and hips. Unfortunately, with diet and exercise you don’t get to choose the areas where fat is removed—but with lipo you can.
How Liposuction Works
Liposuction is the only way to immediately and permanently get rid of targeted unwanted fat. Compared to other cosmetic surgeries, it’s relatively minimally invasive. Tiny incisions are made in the targeted area and a little tube is inserted. Unwanted fat is “sucked” out with a device that works similar to a vacuum. The incisions are so tiny that once they’re healed, they’re nearly invisible to the naked eye. Downtime from liposuction is minimal, although it’s common to feel a little sore afterward or experience mild bruising.
Liposuction might sound like a somewhat simple surgery, and in many cases it is. However, you don’t want to trust just any surgeon with liposuction. Remember that once this fat is removed, it’s gone for good. It will never come back. Everybody, even the slenderest people, want and need just the right amount of fat to achieve the look they desire. If too much fat is removed or if the body isn’t “sculpted” or contoured correctly during liposuction, that’s a big issue! This is why it’s so important to only trust the most qualified surgeons with your liposuction procedure. A svelte, natural look is the goal and you can rest easy when you have experts like Dr. Park taking care of you and your needs.
Combining Liposuction with Other Procedures
It’s certainly common to get “just” liposuction, but it’s also a popular complement to other procedures and surgeries. Four of the most common surgeries liposuction works well with include a facelift, tummy tuck, circumferential body lift, and breast surgeries. A facelift removes excess skin from the lower half of the face and neck to achieve a more youthful, healthier look. Unwanted pockets of fat in these areas can be troublesome, making a person look older or heavier than they are (even after a flawless facelift!). Adding liposuction to a facelift helps to create a more slender, sculpted appearance and one of the most popular areas to get liposuction on the face is below the chin.
A tummy tuck gets rid of excess skin on the belly so you can show off those abs, but abs don’t show when there are pockets of fat still lingering. Combining lipo with a tummy tuck gives you optimal results—and confidence! A circumferential body lift is a tummy tuck that goes all the way around the body, and results can be maximized by opting to get liposuction in the back to vanquish “muffin tops.”
Finally, all types of cosmetic breast surgeries can be made even better with liposuction. Breast augmentation, which involves breast implants, can be combined with liposuction in the “bra bulge” area for a more youthful appearance. A breast lift, which strictly removes excess skin, combines with liposuction to enhance results. Of course, a breast reduction is a natural complement to liposuction.
Is Liposuction for Me?
Anyone interested in sculpting and contouring their body or face with targeted fat removal might be a good fit for liposuction. You’ll see results right away and won’t believe how quick the recovery period is. To learn more about liposuction and the many surgeries it complements, call John Park MD Plastic Surgery at (949) 777-6883 and schedule your complimentary consultation today.