Liposuction vs. Weight Loss: Which is Better?

“Is getting liposuction worth it?” Philadelphia-area patients may ask themselves this question when they’re thinking about choosing a fat reduction procedure for areas they have difficulty toning up with diet and exercise. It goes without saying that we all have different body shapes. Aside from losing overall weight, many people also want to reduce specific areas of the body where fat may seem to linger—despite otherwise successful lifestyle changes. We call these “problem areas” or “trouble zones.”

Unfortunately, targeting the muscles in these areas through exercise won’t make this specific excess fat go away. Depending on what your cosmetic goals are, liposuction may be the better option for you when compared to traditional weight loss techniques. Here’s why: Our bodies have a certain number of fat cells that won’t change much throughout our adult life. The way this fat is distributed is mainly determined by genetics.

The healthiest and most effective way to lose weight is through making healthy lifestyle choices such as maintaining a balanced diet and exercising regularly. When we create a calorie deficit, the size of the fat cells throughout the entire body are reduced. However, we don’t have control over where fat is lost from when we lose weight, since the number of fat cells in a particular “problem area” remains the same even as the fat cells themselves shrink. Not to mention, even after weight lost the fat cells can always become enlarged again if we gain weight in the future. 

One of the biggest myths about liposuction is that it’s an easy way out and a “lazy person’s way to lose weight” because the same results could be achieved through lifestyle changes. This is simply not true. Liposuction isn’t a weight-loss treatment and patients won’t lose a significant number of pounds through this procedure.

The truth is that liposuction isn’t meant to be a replacement for weight loss. It is performed in order to contour stubborn, localized areas of fat to create a more pleasing and balanced body shape.

Liposuction involves the removal of some fat cells from directly below the skin in targeted areas. The fat that is removed can’t come back. To maximize results, you can combine liposuction with healthy lifestyle choices, which means you can lose weight all over your body, then focus on contouring specific areas with help from a plastic surgeon.

Learn more about the difference between weight loss and cosmetic fat reduction from the team at Cross Medical Group. Call (215) 561-9100 or submit a contact form to line up a consultation.