You’ve probably seen advertisements for gym equipment or exercise programs that will tone and slenderize a particular area of the body. While it’s true that certain exercises increase muscle tone in a given area, exercise cannot “spot reduce” deposits of fat. Unfortunately, there is no way exercise can completely get rid of fat in the most common trouble areas like “love handles,” “saddlebags,” or “muffin tops,” unless overall body fat is reduced. But for the vast majority of us, every effort to reduce body fat percentage overall – even with a strict diet – is still not effective for getting rid of those stubborn, fatty deposits.
The only way to target fat in a particular area is with liposuction. Unlike diet and exercise, which can slenderize your appearance by shrinking the size of fat cells, liposuction permanently removes fat cells from the body so they never return. The fat suctioning device used in liposuction can remove fat from the most common trouble zones, as well as smaller or more complex contours of the body like the face, neck, knees, and calves. As such, liposuction is the best and most effective “spot reduction” treatment. In fact, most patients get the best results with liposuction when spot reduction is their main goal. While liposuction is not a weight loss procedure, it can help those who want to see tone and definition in an area that is covered with an unwanted layer of fat.
Liposuction takes between one to three hours to perform, depending on the size and number of areas treated, and there is a recovery time of about a week. Since liposuction requires minimal incisions, there will be minimal scarring. Any small scars are typically hidden within the folds of the skin and fade with time.
If you are interested in liposuction, we encourage you to contact Southwest Plastic Surgery. Please call our El Paso office at (915) 590-7900 or our Las Cruces office at (575) 520-5041 to schedule your consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons. For your convenience, you may also fill out our online contact form.
