We’ve all seen the propaganda photo’s, those manipulated, often airbrushed liposuction before and after pics that show just how amazing people look after they have had liposuction surgery. But how much confidence should we place in liposuction before and after pictures? Are they an accurate depiction of the results of liposuction? What’s the truth about liposuction?
The truth is that liposuction is not as straightforward as you might think. To begin with there are a number of different liposuction procedures, including laser liposuction and ultrasonic liposuction. These different techniques can often produce different results. The area where the technique is applied will also impact the final result. Some areas respond well to the rapid removal of fat in this way whereas others may take much longer to heal. Likewise, areas where skin is sensitive or is less elastic can be prone to scaring or sagging.
It’s important to remember that different people will see different results from liposuction surgery than others. Some will take longer to recover too. The elasticity of our skin is a major factor in the way we will look afterwards and a surgeon will always take this into consideration before approving the procedure. You might think that skin is just skin but you would be wrong. Skin loses elasticity as it ages. When a large amount of fat is removed the skin in that area will sag. Less elastic skin will not regain its shape. Laser liposuction will combat this effect slightly by stimulating the natural production of collagen but those with less elastic skin should still avoid liposuction surgery. That’s why laser liposuction before and after photos always look the best.
Those with high levels of cellulite are also likely to have a less than ideal experience of liposuction. No currently available type of liposuction surgery is capable of removing cellulite, so when the fat is removed this will remain behind. If you have a high cellulite level then your before and after pictures would look drastically different, your skin would feel lumpy and even deformed. Surgeons always check that a patients cellulite levels are low enough so that this won’t happen but they can never be 100% right. Those are the liposuction before and after pics they don’t show you in the magazines.
So are the before and after pictures of liposuction patients we normally see accurate? Well, some of them might have been altered slightly but most of them are real examples of liposuction success stories. But remember that just because liposuction surgery has worked miracles on other people it does not necessarily mean that it will work for you. There are a number of liposuction before and after photos out there that show how liposuction can go wrong too. It is important to seek the opinion of a highly qualified surgeon before you decide to go ahead with the surgery. If he advises that liposuction might not be the best option for you, for whatever reason, then you should consider other options. Many of the before and after pictures of liposuction disasters are the result of people insisting that they have the surgery despite advice to the contrary, or of being misinformed about the risks.