Does fat Grow Back After Liposuction?

If you have read our anatomy section you know that you stop developing new fat cells after puberty unless you reach 200% of your ideal body weight and need more lipid "storage space" or you have experimental fat-stem cell therapy for adipocyte-genesis. Please read the excerpt below from Yale Medical Core Curriculum:

"Hypertrophic obesity results in an increase in the size of the fat cells, without a change in their number. It is usually a post-adolescent phenomenon, and holds true until total body fat exceeds 40 kg (morbid obesity - greater than 200% ideal body weight), at which point new fat cells are produced to accommodate the enlarging lipid reserves."

credit: Yale Medical Core Curriculum

Heredity, gender, health, diet and activity levels certainly can determine how much mass and where this mass may be in many patients. Many patients worry if they get liposuction, will it grow back as soon as they venture off the path which is straight and narrow.

And getting liposuction doesn't just cause more fat to grow elsewhere either. You may feel as though it does but if you get liposuction and you keep eating more calories than you're burning off, well of course you are going to have to store the calories in the form of fat. And since a lot of your fat cells were removed on your hips, thighs - wherever, and your fat needs to be stored SOMEWHERE it gets stored in your treatment area and in other areas. Your don't grow more fat cells, the fat cells left over just expand. So why does it appear that you just gained that fettuccini alfredo, bottle of wine and cheesecake all in an area that has never previously gotten fat before?? Well, for every 3,500 calories you take in but do not burn off - you gain a pound of fat! So if you are going to eat high calorie foods, move.

Let's use my body in a hypothetical situation as an example:

  1. Pre-liposuction: I usually start to notice weight gain and increasing mass in my saddle bags first, my knees second, all over my thighs third, my abdomen and flanks fourth and my face and arms last. I don't know where my hips figure into all this because they have always been big as long as I can remember. Anyway, I get sick of *expanding*, diet a little then decide after years of yoyo-dieting to go get lipo after I can maintain a steady weight.

  2. Post-liposuction to saddle bags, outer and inner thighs, and abdomen: I start thinking "Girl I look GOOD! I think I can have me a piece of this pie, one piece of pie won't hurt, okay now that I have had a piece of pie I can probably have some ice cream or something. I will start eating healthy again tomorrow." Tomorrow comes and you say "Well it IS Friday. I will eat how I want to eat today and then start fresh on Monday". Monday comes and I say "I don't feel good, plus I look good still, I can eat what I want because I had liposuction." So I eat what I want that week including a few Godiva liqueur truffles. And the next, and the next, and the week after that.

  3. Mass and Weight Gain: Pretty soon I start noticing weight gain in my butt, arms and calves BUT! I always get it in my saddle bag area and knees first which triggers me to stop eating like that and to watch my calories. Well, that saddle bag area doesn't have as many fat cells as it once did, nor does my tummy. In fact they aren't muchbigger if anything - but darn it all if my butt isn't enormous, I am getting fat on my upper ribs and my lower legs are turning into cankles. ACCCK!!! I didn't have the usual triggers (expanded saddle bags and stomach) to tell me, "Hey you've been eating too much pasta and crème brulee!!" So by then I have gained mass in my secondary areas and my primary fatty areas aren't all that big - well not as big as they used to get pre-lipo, but they do expand.

So, did I grow new fat cells? No, it just went "somewhere else" and I need to watch my caloric intake and insulin spikes. Liposuction isn't a miracle procedure. You still need to mind your P's & Q's.

 
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