We’ve all heard it before – if I get liposuction in one area, will all my fat start accumulating in an area that didn’t receive liposuction?! And the answer is a resounding no. Understanding why this won’t happen requires an understanding of fat and “getting fat.”
Believe it or not, all of the fat cells you have and will ever have, are set in stone by the end of adolescence. That’s right, you don’t form any new fat cells after adolescence. So why do we gain weight when we eat fatty foods? When eating fatty foods, your existing fat cells swell as they absorb fatty foods and shrink as you lose weight. So “getting fat” is really just getting swollen fat cells, not more fat cells!
Liposuction removes existing fat cells from one area of the body or another. Genetically, men seemed predisposed to have larger pockets of fat in the love handles (flanks) and in the outer/inner thighs for women. By removing fat cells from these areas, your remaining fat cells can still swell with increased fat intake but since there are fewer fat cells after liposuction (or CoolSculpting), there are fewer fat cells in that area to absorb the fat. That’s why it’s hard to get bigger in those areas but it also doesn’t mean you get bigger in other areas of the body.
If fatty foods don’t preferentially deposit in the arms, for example, before liposuction, there’s no scientific reason they would preferentially deposit in that area after liposuction. In other words, fat will still go to the same areas of the body it has always gone to, it just won’t be as obvious because you have fewer fat cells to absorb that fat. The fat that isn’t absorbed will be excreted though the liver and the kidneys just like other waste products in the body.
I’m not saying everyone should get liposuction, I’m just saying, don’t NOT get liposuction for fear that you’ll end up looking like the Michelin man in the non-lipo’d areas!
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