This is a topic that continues to come up time and time again. I am continually asked not only what happens to liposuctioned areas with weight gain, but also what happens to non-liposuctioned areas. There seems to be a fear out there that if one has liposuction and then gains weight that other areas of your body might become disproportionately larger or even freakish.
First, let’s put this into perspective. Liposuction is best performed on patients who are overall in pretty good shape, but just have an area or two that is stubbornly large. The classic example is the woman who claims that if she loses weight, it comes off of her breasts, but her pear shaped bottom won’t budge. I personally have trouble with my flanks. It is very hard for me to lose that “spare tire”. Now, if we suction these regions, there really isn’t all that much fat involved as a percentage of your overall weight or total body fat.
Next, we need to understand that the fat removed from those regions that are liposuctioned is pretty difficult to get back. It just doesn’t seem to happen, and there is good science to help understand that phenomenon. Basically, once fat cells are removed from an area, they don’t grow back. You can gain weight in that region, but it requires the existing fat cells to divide and multiply – something that is quite debatable in the medical literature.
Finally, if you do consume more calories than your burn up during the day, well then yes, you will gain weight. However, this future weight should be gained in a much more evenly distributed pattern without the previous disproportionate deposits going to the liposuctioned area again.
So, the strict answer in my mind is yes, the fat will go somewhere else. But you are not going to suddenly start developing fat forearms or earlobes! Furthermore, the better question might be, “why are you gaining weight after having liposuction in the first place?”!
"I heard that if you have liposuction and then gain weight, the fat will go somewhere else" – Oh My!
Dr. Thomas P. Sterry
Dr. Thomas P. Sterry is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Manhattan with over 20 years of experience helping people look and feel their best. As a recognized leader in facial contouring and body sculpting, he’s known for delivering natural-looking results with an incredible bedside manner.
- Certification Matters: Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
- Established in NYC: In private practice in Manhattan since 2001
- Respected Teacher: Clinical Assistant Professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Award Winner: Multiple awards and honors from multiple websites and societies
- Trusted Credentials: Member of ASPS, The Aesthetic Society, and other prestigious groups
Credentials you can trust
My face is chunky and i have a double chin. I was considering lipo in my face n chin. Is their a certain amount that you aloud to take ? Because i am looking at some pictures and i feel its not enough being removed. I want no double chin i want a full frame of my face to stand out my jaw line
There is no standard limit on how much fat can be removed from the face and neck area. That said, there is a matter of judgement and anatomy. Sometimes removing too much fat can make a patient look older, not better. Also, the anatomy of the neck region can be deceiving because there is fat in the subcutaneous layer (below the skin) and sub muscular area (below the muscles of the neck) which is deeper. If a patient has a lot of sub muscular fat, then there is no amount of liposuction (which removes subcutaneous fat) that can improve the neck contour. I suggest an evaluation by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who does a lot of this work before you commit to any procedure. Good Luck!