May, 2000
Publication: Allure
Article Topic: Liposuction Surgery

"... After liposuction, do you get fat in places where you never got fat before?

We've all heard stories about the friend of a friend who had liposuction on her thighs and then began filling out in strange areas like the upper back. Liposuction doesn't put on pounds, but if you gain weight, you may store it in new areas, explains Los Angeles plastic surgeon Peter B. Fodor.

"People are born with a predetermined number of fat cells. Weight gain does not increase the number of cells; instead, the existing fat cells get larger." The added weight has to settle somewhere, and it can't settle in the fat cells of the thighs as these cells were removed by liposuction. Instead, it may gravitate to fat cells in areas that were lean before.

The message, says Fodor, is that liposuction works best when the patient exercises and maintains - or, preferably, decreases - his or her caloric intake. In his experience, he says, it is common for patients to lose additional weight after liposuction. Fear of developing a fat back can be an effective incentive. ..."