Does Visceral Fat Increase After Abdominal Liposuction?

Visceral Fat and Liposuction

Recently, a question was posted on the consultation board of Venus Clinic asking whether visceral fat increases after abdominal liposuction. As a surgeon who performs liposuction, I would like to share my opinion on this question.

 

Hello ^^ You asked about abdominal liposuction... and you heard that abdominal liposuction increases the chance of developing visceral obesity...

In short, that is correct.

 

This was published in the paper above. It reports that liposuction does not meaningfully improve metabolic abnormalities.

However,

 

reported, through a similar study, that liposuction improved insulin resistance.

Many similar papers have been published so far, but the effect of liposuction on health is still debated among researchers. What we need to consider here is that, unless a study observes patients side by side for the months or years it takes, doctors cannot assess the diet and exercise habits of the patients that produce the results.

In such studies, the results may vary depending on whether patients knew the purpose of the study and followed the instructions well. So in my view, it is difficult to draw precise conclusions.

To put it another way, people who take good care of themselves after liposuction may see improvement even in visceral obesity and in their health, whereas if aftercare is neglected, the surplus energy that would be stored as fat in fat cells may instead be stored even more in visceral fat.

Recently, it has been shown that the deep layer of subcutaneous fat plays a role similar to visceral fat. Liposuction first removes excess fat and brings an initial improvement in health, but this means that the long-term outcome for your health can differ depending on your own efforts.

The fat in our body consists broadly of visceral fat (about 21%), intramuscular fat (about 12%), and subcutaneous fat (about 67%). Subcutaneous fat can be further divided into superficial and deep fat tissue, and liposuction is a procedure that removes subcutaneous fat. With liposuction, it is generally difficult to remove more than about 4% of body weight.

So it cannot be said to change the body's overall condition dramatically; rather, the purpose of liposuction lies in reshaping the body in terms of volume and creating a more attractive figure. Liposuction is therefore still a type of cosmetic surgery, and if you are diligent about aftercare, it can support your health while helping you maintain an attractive body shape.

The figure below is from a paper by Rohrich, an American plastic surgeon. It illustrates the idea that a successful liposuction result comes from liposuction working in harmony with lifestyle changes, diet, and exercise.

 

Your other question was about which machine we use for liposuction, right? To start, reading the post on liposuction methods below should be helpful.

References

Venus-Style LiposuctionLiposuction Areas at Venus

At Venus Clinic, our basic approach is fine, handmade micro-liposuction using micro cannulas. We also have equipment such as the Lipomatic power-assisted vibrating device and Ultra Z (VASER), a third-generation internal ultrasound device, which we use selectively for large-volume liposuction, areas with loose skin that need skin contraction, areas hardened with fibrous tissue, and revision surgery.

 

The method currently widely accepted in the literature as the gold standard for liposuction, and regarded as a safe approach, is to use tumescent local anesthesia and perform the procedure finely by the surgeon's hand with small-diameter cannulas called micro cannulas.

However, machines and methods that make the procedure easier or help skin contraction are often presented as if they determine the entire outcome of liposuction. It seems to be overlooked that they are only supporting tools for liposuction as a whole and cannot be what determines the result. I also think many machines and techniques will still need more clinical experience before they gain academic acceptance.

Dr. Fournier of France, called the father of liposuction and a leader in developing modern liposuction, performs surgery without any machine, using only the negative pressure of a syringe.

 

A skilled liposuction surgeon can achieve excellent results with any machine. What matters is that, whatever machine is used to treat the fat, a good result ultimately depends on the surgeon's hands removing the fat carefully and evenly; that is the nature of liposuction. So rather than choosing a machine, I think it is better to choose a surgeon with the experience, skill, and stamina to give full effort even in difficult and demanding liposuction cases.

The greeting on the Venus Clinic website says, "Skill, passion, love, and..." And it continues, "With that loving heart, we will do our very best." I repeat those words here once again.

[ Dr. Jung, Director, Venus Clinic ]