The Truth Behind These Liposuction Myths

Serving San Diego, Oceanside, Carlsbad, & Nearby Areas of Southern California

Hundreds of thousands of men and women have liposuction every year in the United States. Yet, there are still a handful of misconceptions about the plastic surgery procedure. Our plastic surgeon at Avalon Lipo and Aesthetics specializes in liposuction and often hears these lipo myths during consultations with patients in San Diego and Carlsbad.

1.Liposuction Will Help You Lose Weight

Lipo is not a weight loss tool. That seems to be the most common myth about liposuction. Many men and women wish to lose weight, but plastic surgery is not the answer. Our plastic surgeon recommends you be at or near (within 5-10 pounds) your goal weight before your lipo procedure for optimal results. This body contouring surgery is not the “easy way out.” It’s essential you develop and stick to an exercise regimen and eat healthily before and after liposuction, so your results are long-lasting, and your figure remains proportionate.

2.Liposuction Can Treat Cellulite

Another misconception about liposuction is that it can address cellulite. Cellulite develops when fat bulges through the connective fibers in your skin tissue. There are effective treatments for cellulite. However, liposuction is not one of them. Liposuction removes unwanted fat cells from several areas of the body, but it can’t remove or treat cellulite tangled within your skin.

3.Liposuction Has an Age Limit

Patients interested in liposuction should be over the age of 18 so their body is formed fully, and they have the maturity to make such a decision. Aside from that, there is no age limit. Dr. Tirgari and the rest of our liposuction surgical team have treated patients of all ages, including those well into their 60s and early 70s. Any adult who is healthy physically and mentally and has realistic goals for what lipo can accomplish may qualify for liposuction. While there may be some additional anesthesia risks for those in their golden years, the advancements of liposuction techniques such as SmartLipo have given us more options. We may even be able to go without anesthetic or use local anesthesia.

4.Liposuction Can Fix Loose, Sagging Skin

To the contrary of this myth, traditional liposuction only removes fat cells from areas such as your abdomen, thighs, upper arms, and flanks (love handles). It does not remove or tighten lax skin and in some cases, may worsen the appearance. Other types of lipo including SmartLipo™ and Laser Lipo may provide an added skin tightening benefit, but for significant sagging, especially in the abdominal area, a tummy tuck could be a better fit or an arm or thigh lift for other areas of laxity.

5.Fat deposits Will Return After Lipo

The fat cells removed through the liposuction procedure are gone for good. They will not grow back. However, you will gain weight in other areas, affecting the body contour provided by our plastic surgeon and making your appearance disproportionate.

6.Liposuction is Only for Women

Liposuction is in the top three most common plastic surgery procedures in the United States for many reasons, but also because lipo is for men and women of any age. There’s the misconception that body contouring is a women’s plastic surgery. Men often come to our Carlsbad and San Diego offices for liposuction.

Schedule Your Liposuction Consultation at Avalon Lipo & Aesthetics

If you’re interested in liposuction, please contact our skilled medical team and plastic surgeon today in Carlsbad or San Diego at (619) 468-4631 to schedule your consultation. We serve patients in surrounding areas of Southern California including Oceanside, Carlsbad, and San Diego.