Full body liposuction is a great way to remove unwanted pockets of fat from various parts of the body. However, it shouldn’t be misunderstood to be a type of weight loss. It’s natural to assume extensive liposuction could achieve weight loss but that’s not safe and probably not a reasonable expectation.

When performing liposuction, you want to remove as much fat as possible to satisfy the patient’s needs but there’s a line you don’t want to cross. If you remove too much fat, you could potentially remove too much fluid from the patient’s body, causing a sort of instant dehydration that can lead to a type of shock. While shock has a lot of definitions, clearly it’s not something you want.

Therefore, a patient that is significantly overweight needs a diet regimen, exercise or even surgical weight loss in the form of a gastric bypass, band or “sleeve.” Notice that liposuction is not included as a reasonable option for the overweight patient. Liposuction is to contour areas of excess fat. This may sound like a euphemism for weight loss but it’s not meant that way.

For patients with stubborn pockets of fat in their neck, arms, abdomen and thighs, full body liposuction is reasonable and can be safe as long as being performed in an accredited facility with a board certified plastic surgeon.