Liposuction is a type of cosmetic surgery. It is most often carried out to improve a person's appearance, rather than their health. However, it can sometimes be used to treat certain health conditions.
Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity. It can only be carried out on relatively small areas of your body and is not a long-term solution for weight loss. It is also not an effective method for removing cellulite or stretch marks.
Many people find they can lose weight, tone up and reduce fatty areas with a combination of healthy eating and exercise. Liposuction is only recommended if you have tried changing your lifestyle but it has not helped.
Before choosing to have liposuction, discuss other options with your GP. Think carefully about why you think liposuction may benefit you.
If you choose liposuction, talk to your surgeon about what you are hoping to gain and what you can realistically expect before you decide to have the operation. While most people are generally pleased with the outcome of liposuction, the effects are often subtle rather than dramatic. The procedure should only be undertaken after a lot of thought.
Read more about whether cosmetic surgery is right for you.
Treating health conditions with liposuction
Liposuction is occasionally used as part of the treatment of certain conditions, including the ones outlined below.
Lymphoedema
Lymphoedema is a condition where fluid (lymph fluid from the lymphatic system) accumulates in body tissue rather than being drained away. This causes swelling, numbness, discomfort and sometimes infection. It is most common in the arms and legs.
Lymphoedema is caused by problems with the lymphatic system. This can be a problem from birth, or may be a result of damage later in life caused by surgery, infection, radiation or injury.
The most common form of chronic lymphoedema in the UK is in women who have had treatment for breast cancer, such as removal of the lymph nodes or radiotherapy to the lymph nodes in the armpit. This causes the arms to swell.
Liposuction can be used to reduce the pain, discomfort and swelling of lymphoedema, but is only advised for the most severe cases. People who have this procedure may have to wear a compression bandage permanently.
Gynaecomastia
Sometimes, fatty swellings that look like breasts can develop under a man's nipples. This condition is called gynaecomastia, and it is caused by a hormone imbalance or some forms of drug therapy. Liposuction can be used to remove these swellings.
Lipodystrophy syndrome
This is a condition where fat is gained in one area of the body and lost from another. It is a side effect of some medicines used to treat HIV (antiretrovirals).
The redistribution of fat can cause obvious physical changes and may be traumatic and stigmatising for some patients. Liposuction may be used as part of the treatment to improve a patient's appearance.
Extreme weight loss
Liposuction may also be used after extreme weight loss. This is where a person was morbidly obese (with a body mass index of 40 or more) but has lost a significant amount of weight. This might be as a result of a controlled dieting programme or weight loss surgery, such as a gastric band or bypass surgery. In this case, more surgical procedures may be needed to remove excess skin or correct any scarring or other abnormalities. Liposuction may be used as part of this process.
