How To Maintain Your New Figure After Liposuction

Liposuction is one of the only ways to treat specific parts of your body to shape them to meet your desires. There's no way to use exercise to get a thinner neck or smaller ankles specifically, but liposuction provides this service precisely. Recent research shows that it's perfectly possible to regain fat after liposuction, so find out how to stay in shape the right way after undergoing a procedure.

Recovery Time

Don't worry about immediate concerns except healing after liposuction. The studies tracking fat gain in patients all stretched out over the course of a year, and you will need to rest for the first few days after surgery. As soon as you feel well enough, start a daily exercise routine of both muscle building and cardiovascular exercise. Exercising at least three to five times a week can begin once the swelling goes down, around four to eight weeks, and your doctor clears you for returning to all activities. Restrict your exercise to walking and other low impact activities until the doctor gives you the green light.

Fat Gain Facts

The studies tracking the results after liposuction showed that it was perfectly possible to regain fat after having it removed within the course of one year. However, this was linked in most studies to the lack of dietary changes and exercise routines used by the participants. Since the patients were continuing to eat as many calories and do as little exercise as they did when they initially gained the fat they wanted removed, it was not surprising that it returned.

The fat gains in the studies also did not correlate with the areas where liposuction was performed. In fact, those areas tended to show the same results as post-surgery while fat developed in other areas of the body. The body doesn't grow new fat cells but rather enlarges existing ones, so gaining weight after liposuction in your thighs could result in larger arms or a rounder belly.

Problem Prevention

For best results, lose weight naturally with diet and exercise first, then target remaining fat deposits with liposuction. Stick to a healthy diet and exercise routine after surgery so that you can maintain the body shape you want without fear of fat gain. The remaining fat on your body won't move or redistribute itself aside from some minor changes in the months following liposuction, so as long as you avoid fat gain you can look exactly as you like.
For more information on this topic, speak to a cosmetic surgeon like John Gatti MD.