Am I a good candidate for liposuction?
I have been working out for over year and have lost approximately 80 pounds with diet and exercise. I carry most of my weight around my stomach and no matter what I do I can't seem to lose weight in that area. My arms and legs have become more tone but I still have a lot of fat around my stomach. I'm about 5' 3" and 194 lbs. Am I a good candidate for liposuction?
Congratulations on your weight loss.
There are a variety of surgical procedures or combinations that can produce good results in patients with abdominal fullness and/or laxity, depending on multiple factors including their anatomy and degree of desired improvement: A mini tummy tuck, an umbilical float modified tummy tuck, a full abdominoplasty. Each of these can be performed with or without liposuction and with or without abdominal muscle repair. They produce different degrees of improvement. In some patients, liposuction alone may produce a good cosmetic improvement.
Following the advice of anyone who would presume to tell you what to without seeing photos and without taking a full medical history, examining you, feeling and assessing your tissue tone, discussing your desired outcome and fully informing you about the pros and cons of each option would not be in your best interest. Find a plastic surgeon that you are comfortable with and one that you trust and listen to his or her advice. The surgeon should be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and ideally a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). You should discuss your concerns with that surgeon in person.
Robert Singer, MD FACS
La Jolla, California
There are some areas of the body that genetically will not go away even with a proper diet and exercise program. For this type of stubborn fat , liposuction can be a very good option. Since you lost 80 pounds, you need to make sure that it is just fat and not a combination of loose skin and fat. If the skin is loose, you may need a combination of a tummy tuck combined with liposuction. The tummy tuck will remove the loose skin and the liposuction will remove the fat deposits. The only way to know for sure is to have an evaluation with a board certified plastic surgeon.
Congrat's on the 80 lb weight loss!
Without seeing a picture, it is hard to say what is best but with so much weight loss, a skin excision should be considered, possibly combined with liposuction.
An in-person consultation with a plastic surgeon would be the best place to start.