Who is a good candidate for Liposuction?

Liposuction is a surgery involving removal of fat deposits from specific areas in the body. It is essential that a person undergoing the procedure be in good physical health. The age of the candidate should ideally be over 21 although exceptions exist.

There is a misconception among many people that liposuction is a weight loss procedure. It must be understood clearly that liposuction does not aim to reduce weight or improve the overall physical condition. It is a specific procedure aimed at selective removal of stubborn fat deposits from localized pockets such as the hips, thighs, upper arms, and abdomen. The ideal candidate should be well informed and should have realistic expectations of the procedure.

A candidate for liposuction should ideally have tried non-surgical methods of fat reduction such as regular physical exercise and a balanced diet. If all efforts to remove excess fat deposits fail, only then should the surgical option of liposuction be sought. The most perfect candidate for liposuction is a person who is hardly overweight but has a bulge in a couple or few areas that don’t decrease despite diet and exercise and have a family history of the same body type. After liposuction, they continue to eat healthy and exercise, but their depot of unwanted fat is gone!

Excessively overweight or obese people are not the best candidates for liposuction. They may need to undergo gastric bypass surgery to reduce weight and then may require a tummy tuck to remove excess skin. In such cases, liposuction may be used as an add-on procedure, but not as a primary one. For liposuction, the candidate’s body weight should be within 25 pounds of his or her ideal body weight, and an ideal candidate is not more than 10 pounds overweight.

Pregnant or lactating women are not suitable candidates for liposuction. In the case of patients suffering from chronic health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, lung ailments, or heart disease, the operating plastic surgeon may evaluate the patient’s medical history and present health condition to decide whether the candidate is fit for liposuction.

If a person is a regular smoker, he or she should ideally quit smoking at least a week to two weeks before the surgery. Those who are taking medications such as Aspirin or Ibuprofen should discontinue use prior to the surgery. If there is a medication prescribed by another doctor, the surgeon may like to consult with the doctor before deciding on the liposuction procedure for the candidate.