Would you consider liposuction for those pockets of fat that don't vanish?

yirara

This is something I'm considering since I found out it's not all that expensive. I have two super annoying accumulations of fat on my body that don't react to weight loss at all.

a) around my ankles. Thought it was encapsulated hematomas and scar tissues from spraining my ankles far too many times. After scan doc is certain it's more like lipomas. I won't do anything against that as the risk of damaging my tendons and other stuff in my feet is too big, and removing it might destabilize my feet even more - even though I can't wear boots as the pressure is very uncomfortably.

b) upper inner thighs. It just sits there and was exactly the same when I was underweight for a while while the rest of my legs would be thin-ish. Apart from having what looks like squishy XL tennis balls between my thighs it's also uncomfortable when cycling, wearing padded cycling pants, wearing a safety belt that goes through the inside thighs or a harness if I don't always check the fit, etc.

So I made an appointment with two clinics that have a good reputation to discuss the thigh accumulation. But I kind of feel that this is a stupid idea. It's somewhat of a vanity.

Thought? Have yoy done this? Would you consider it?

SuzySunshine99

I think its a very personal risk vs. reward decision. There are inherent risks to any surgery. For me, personally, I don't believe the risks are worth it for something that is, as you say, somewhat of a vanity thing.

But, if you think it would improve your self-confidence and make you happy enough to have it be worth the risk, then you are wise to do the research, talk to different clinics, and make the best informed decision that you can.

For me, I figure that if I had one thing about me "fixed", I would just find something else that I don't like about my body to focus on.

That said, I would never put someone down who made a decision to have a procedure like this done. It is your body, and you should feel comfortable in it. If, after your research, you believe that this will considerably improve your life, then that's your answer.

Hopefully, there's some people who have had surgeries like this and can chime in to give you some real information.

yirara

Thanks a lot, highly appreciate your input.
Your thoughts reflect mine quite a bit, also the worry that I might want more one day. But apart from the visual aspects those leg boobs are also super annoying with pretty much everything I do. To be honest, given the choice there's one other thing I would change immediately. But you can't get a slim pelvis bone and a more androgynous body shape Thus I kind of embraced my curves many ages ago.

tapwaters

Probably not, but I would consider skin removal. I don't think my stomach will ever "come back," so if after five years of maintenance and if I have one more kid, I might consider skin removal.

nighthawk584

no, not at all. I look at any "imperfections" as battle scars from losing 100 lbs. I wear it with pride. Thank God through continuous mountain biking and weight training, loose skin and fat is SLOWLY, and I mean SLOWLY improving.

PapillonNoire

If money was of no concern, yeah, I'd probably consider it. I haven't done any research to know what the risks are though, and would have to know more about that before getting serious about it.

I have had other plastic surgery in the past and don't have any regrets about it. I think any adult who has been well informed of the risk vs reward and has the cash to spare is free to do whatever they like with their bodies. I also think vanity is a perfectly legitimate reason to want to do something. Many people on here are losing weight primarily for aesthetics.

NovusDies

If you made the appointments then the decision has forward momentum based on your first response to the possibility. I would trust that for now. Assuming the results of the consultation do not throw up a brick wall of risks and/or money you should seriously consider it.

I am not sure what I would do because I do not have your body or your history. I struggle to even try to put myself in your shoes because I am still in the honeymoon period of looking decent-ish in clothes. I have not caught up enough to be too critical of naked yet.

Be diligent and research recovery.

clairesbubbe

I had lipo for saddle bags a while ago. It was the best thing I ever did. Now I'm trying to save money for a tummy tuck. I was 200 lbs in my 9th month with my son. At 35 at the time, the elasticity was gone so I have a lot of extra skin. My abs are tight, so I just need t have the skin removed.

janejellyroll

I feel like I would have liposuction if I had fat that 1) bothered me visually, 2) hadn't responded to my efforts to reduce with fitness, and 3) caused me physical discomfort. Even without number 3, I think I would consider it.

We are conditioned to think that vanity is automatically something to overcome. Excessive vanity may be, but I don't think that vanity being *a* factor in your decision is immediately disqualifying. It's okay to want to look better (as you define "better")! If you've found a doctor that you trust and they think a good outcome is likely, then I think liposuction is a reasonable decision in your situation. It's also reasonable to decide not to do it. There is no one universally right choice, IMO. Look at how many people here didn't just stop losing weight once they got into the "normal" BMI range . . . I certainly didn't, I wanted to be on the low end for purely vain and aesthetic reasons. In my mind, there's no real difference between my decision and the one that you're considering -- I was just lucky enough to be able to do it without surgery.

My mom was really bugged by one thing on her face and she decided to get it fixed. It made her really happy and she's one of the most reasonable and inwardly focused people that I know. So my take is . . . it's perfectly valid to get a surgical fix for something you just don't like looking at. I fully expect that I could do it at some point in my aging process.

yirara

clairesbubbe wrote: »

I had lipo for saddle bags a while ago. It was the best thing I ever did. Now I'm trying to save money for a tummy tuck. I was 200 lbs in my 9th month with my son. At 35 at the time, the elasticity was gone so I have a lot of extra skin. My abs are tight, so I just need t have the skin removed.

Oh interesting! Do you see a skin texture/appearance difference between the former saddlebag area and the surrounding area? I could imagine that things might look strange with continued weightloss, or with gain. That's certainly one of the things I will ask.

Mind you, I do have saddlebags (somewhat), but they belong to me. Without them there would only be one vertical line from the top of my pelvis and partway down the leg, which isn't a great look if you have the pelvis of an old mill nag . Plus they vanish when I flex my bum muscles

bmeadows380

I wouldn't consider it a vanity procedure if the fat deposits are causing you discomfort. I probably wouldn't consider myself unless that becomes more of a concern.

However, one thing that might be a factor for me is the fact that I'm starting to have trouble finding pants that fit; my thighs are large not just because of past weight but due to genetics (my grandmother's side of the family are tall and wide hipped; most of my cousins have the same thing). The thighs are the last place where any weight is lost and its not keeping up with my waist, but I'm finding that as I go down in clothing sizes, pants that fit me in the waist are uncomfortably tight in the legs.

George8383

Had lipo and tummy tuck in 2011 best thing I ever did but I can become addictive.

sardelsa

It really depends on you and if you have looked into the risks involved and if it is worth it to you.

For me I would consider less invasive vanity procedures (varicose veins, laser hair removal etc) but there are always some risks and I would say those would be worth it for me down the road.

I have stubborn fat in areas but I don't think lipo would help. Lucky for me I carry my fat in areas where people only see in a bikini or super short shorts so very rarely exposed. If I had the money I would consider trying a cellulite treatment.

Someone above mentioned a comment about fixing one thing then would you find something else to fixate on? That would 100% be me so I also have to be mindful of that.

Mazintrov13

I would highly recommend checking out RealSelf. There is tons of reviews and information from plastic surgeons. You can ask questions there as well.

I’ve always been fairly thin but had deposits of fat under my chin (not extremely noticeable but always bothered me) which I had a CoolSculpting/Cryotherapy treatment done on and actually had pretty good results! But like I said there wasn’t much that needed to be removed.

yirara

Thanks a lot all of you. I'm certainly taking all these comment into consideration. I still don't know if I want to do it or not. Apart from the visual aspects these fat accumulations are always in the way of everything and won't go away by themselves. But on the other hand I feel that this is not something I'd normally do. I doubt though that there's a risk of wanting more as the things I'm not happy about are things I can't change. I hate every doctors visit, and I suffer really badly from medical treatments, let alone surgery, thus even considering this makes me question my sanity. I guess it also means that my suffering is strong enough

magnusthenerd

Before going for full blown lipo, I'd try doing a month or two of stubborn fat protocol, if I had a problem spot while already lean. I'd then take a look into cool lipo over traditional because of the recovery time on traditional lip.

Personally, I'm 16 weeks after having loose skin removal - circumferential abdominoplasty - from having been generally morbidly obese most of my life and having maintained relatively lean for 3 years before the consult (4 years now). I didn't actually have lipo with it - I was lean enough without it. I don't see any issue with surgical intervention if something is truly bothering a person and there's no other route for the issue.

yirara

magnusthenerd wrote: »

Before going for full blown lipo, I'd try doing a month or two of stubborn fat protocol, if I had a problem spot while already lean. I'd then take a look into cool lipo over traditional because of the recovery time on traditional lip.

Personally, I'm 16 weeks after having loose skin removal - circumferential abdominoplasty - from having been generally morbidly obese most of my life and having maintained relatively lean for 3 years before the consult (4 years now). I didn't actually have lipo with it - I was lean enough without it. I don't see any issue with surgical intervention if something is truly bothering a person and there's no other route for the issue.

Well, I was underweight for a few months. Went back to the weight I feel comfortable. Then regained some weight in a period of depression. It didn't help at all. When underweight my legs around that accumulation were fairly lean (as lean as possible. I store fat at legs and bum) but the thigh boobs were still there in their full beauty. Guess it's one of those accumulations that don't react to dieting. If it wasn't so squishy I would think they are lipomas, as I have quite a few of those. But no, just very annoying fat. Weight training to lose more fat without losing weight is not an option: I"m happy with my current weight because my bones, and especially my wide pelvis bone poke out too much and my face looks happy and full-ish.

With regards to interventions: I guess we're more than 10 years behind here to the US, and maybe the UK. mini liposuction (micro tools) is the newest thing here. No other options available unfortunately.

MikePfirrman

As someone that had a huge Lipoma grow on their back and had to have it taken off by a plastic surgeon, heck no. Not much fun at all. And two years after that huge one was taken off, I had another grow up near my neck, just below the shirt line. Not that noticable until I take my shirt off. It's around two inches in diameter and protrudes around an inch off my back. I've had that one for nearly 10 years. It's grown a bit lately and starting to get uncomfortable, but it's also near my spine, so I'm not in any hurry to take that one off.

I'm not a fan of elective surgeries for vanity and I have a very good reason to have a vanity surgery and I'm not doing it.

AnnPT77

I don't have experience with it, but I personally generally wouldn't consider plastic surgery unless for a functional problem of some sort (if loose skin was sufficient to be causing chafing or infections, as it can in extreme cases). I'm not a very appearance-concious person, so the risk and unpleasantness of recovery - though pretty minor - wouldn't be worth it, for me. I didn't consider reconstruction after bilateral mastectomies, for example, and have never been sorry (almost 20 years on, now).

I suppose I'd consider reconstructive facial surgery after an accident or something, to stay close to normal appearance, to avoid it being a distraction socially.

That said, if someone else's sense of the risk/reward balance differs, and they want plastic surgery of any sort for appearance reasons, I don't see why that wouldn't be a rational choice, and I wouldn't think ill of them at all. (I admit, I feel a little concern for some friends who have undergone many/multiple procedures in what seems to me to be a somewhat desperate or compulsive pursuit of permanent youth. It's not the surgery that concerns me in those extreme/unusual cases, it's the seeming compulsion and what it may say about their self-image and mental health. Still none of my business, though.)

netitheyeti

I'd love to get my lower stomach fixed.. there's a big pocket of fat that does NOT go away even if I hit bordeline underweight for my height (been there, done that), tho I suspect it's mostly loose skin vs just plain fat. It legit hurts when I work out unless I wear super tight clothes and I've had my skin/the fold under my stomach get painfully inflamed in summer even with super regular showers - it costs too much tho, skin removal is considered cosmetic

AlexandraFindsHerself1971

If it's getting in the way of what you want to do with your body (cycling shorts, climbing harnesses) then it's not vanity to want to have surgical correction on that. I myself will undoubtedly need some skin surgery along with the ab surgery once I finish losing 120 pounds, because I had three large babies in my twenties and even at my weight I have a lot of sagging skin. It drags on my lower back and limits the styles I can wear. But no one will consider doing the work to fix the diastasis rectus abdominus until I've lost the weight. And should I have fat pockets that don't shrink or other floppiness that doesn't tighten, I'll go for surgery on arms or inner thighs or lipo on my lower back, because I want to feel good and look good in my clothes, and I"m tired of living around my body's issues.

AnnPT77

netitheyeti wrote: »

I'd love to get my lower stomach fixed.. there's a big pocket of fat that does NOT go away even if I hit bordeline underweight for my height (been there, done that), tho I suspect it's mostly loose skin vs just plain fat. It legit hurts when I work out unless I wear super tight clothes and I've had my skin/the fold under my stomach get painfully inflamed in summer even with super regular showers - it costs too much tho, skin removal is considered cosmetic

Have you discussed it with a doctor? I've known of folks who got insurance coverage if the loose skin was causing physical problems, like fungal or bacterial infections. Don't know where you are, either - whether it's private insurance rules that are the barrier, or public health service.

EtA: Here, the rules seem to be analogous to breast reduction. With that, if breast size is documented to be causing (for example) back problems, some insurance companies will cover. Not an easy documentation process, though - patience and persistence, in the cases I know where someone succeeded.

RunsWithBees

As long as someone is fully aware of the risks involved and has realistic expectations about the results then only they can decide if the procedures are right for them. Always research the doctors and go to a certified and experienced surgeon. What I’d do is write down any questions I can think of before the consultation appointment so my mind doesn’t go blank when I see the doctor and forget to ask any important questions. I think you will have a better idea of whether or not you want to go through with it after the initial consultation.

Personally so far I’ve only had 2 considerations for plastic surgery: one I didn’t go through with and one I did:

My “almost” plastic surgery experience: Years ago I considered a breast reduction and had a consultation with a surgeon. After he explained the procedure to me in detail I lost my interest in the surgery because it just seemed too brutal a thing to do to my body at the time. I’ve never regretted not getting the surgery either. A couple years later I lost weight and even though my breast size remained exactly the same, my back fat went away so my band fit better and supported the heft, not to mention I finally found (cute and affordable) bras that actually fit my size online from the UK (they don’t sell my size in regular US stores) Once I started (barefoot) running regularly my posture improved 100% and that greatly improved how I carry my chest weight and made everything so much more manageable, I’m so happy I didn’t get the reduction because in my case it was actually unnecessary, I just needed to fix other things and that consequentially fixed my breast issues.

My lipoma removal experience: a couple of years after my weight loss, I began having pain on my right side lower ribcage, I had a lipoma there I never noticed, it was probably uncovered after I lost my excess weight and had grown in a way that was now pushing against the nerves on my ribs. It was the exact size, shape and firmness of a hard boiled egg. My insurance wouldn’t pay for it to be removed (they consider lipomas purely a cosmetic issue) so I had to pay myself. I ended up going to a very experienced dermatologist and plastic surgeon and she removed it by excision under local anesthetic. I will say that I seem to be the kind of person who needs an extra amount of anesthesia to not feel pain (even for dental procedures) so I did feel some of the procedure while it was happening. She gave me the maximum safe dose of anesthetic but it was still quite a painful experience in my case, I powered through but it was bad. The ribs have a lot of nerves so that probably contributed to the pain. After it was done, I had to pack the area with gauze and keep light pressure on it so the area wouldn’t fill up with fluid (like blood or lymph) for a few days. She did some internal sutures (that would later dissolve) to help keep the newly empty space from filling up with anything. I had to put a waterproof bandaid on it for every shower for the next 2 weeks and clean the area and change the dressing daily. Once it healed I no longer had the constant rib pain the lipoma caused me. She advised me that the scar would continue to “remodel” over the next 1-2 years and that was exactly correct. After a year the scar was much improved and after 2 years it was barely perceptible. Now, unless you were specifically looking for the scar you wouldn’t even see it. She did a fantastic job, the scar is not raised nor puckered in any way, completely smooth against the surrounding skin and doesn’t pull or distort with movement. It takes a skilled surgeon to achieve this so if scarring is a concern make sure you discuss this with the doctor. I had to refrain from exercising for about a month then start with only walking the next month and gradually work back up to my regular running schedule. You definitely want to ask the doc what you can expect for recovery time. I remember looking into liposuction for my lipoma but I think I remember it not being the best way to remove lipomas because they are more prone to grow back if the lipoma is not completely removed, if they miss a little piece of it. That’s why I chose to have it excised. Also, an important thing to ask the surgeon would be how to expect the skin to react after the liposuction, is it going to be loose and stretched out? Will it tighten up on its own? Will it need to be removed later? Personally I kinda find liposuction scary because just by it’s very nature it’s a blind procedure, it’s completely up to the individual doctor to calculate how deep and how far to insert the cannula (and in what movement pattern) not like excision where they can clearly see what they are cutting into. It’s also routine to have a sample of the lipoma sent to a lab to screen it for any abnormal cells just in case, since it is technically a tumor, albeit nearly always a benign one. Not sure if they do that with liposuction. All good things to ask the surgeon at your consultation. Whatever you choose to do, good luck

bsteves06

What about coolsculpting?

yirara

bsteves06 wrote: »

What about coolsculpting?

Doesn't seem to exist, at least not for slightly bigger accumulations. Maybe it's effective for a tiny bit of fat on the jawline, but doesn't seem to help for me.

magnusthenerd

AnnPT77 wrote: »

netitheyeti wrote: »

I'd love to get my lower stomach fixed.. there's a big pocket of fat that does NOT go away even if I hit bordeline underweight for my height (been there, done that), tho I suspect it's mostly loose skin vs just plain fat. It legit hurts when I work out unless I wear super tight clothes and I've had my skin/the fold under my stomach get painfully inflamed in summer even with super regular showers - it costs too much tho, skin removal is considered cosmetic

Have you discussed it with a doctor? I've known of folks who got insurance coverage if the loose skin was causing physical problems, like fungal or bacterial infections. Don't know where you are, either - whether it's private insurance rules that are the barrier, or public health service.

EtA: Here, the rules seem to be analogous to breast reduction. With that, if breast size is documented to be causing (for example) back problems, some insurance companies will cover. Not an easy documentation process, though - patience and persistence, in the cases I know where someone succeeded.

Guidelines for insurance tend to build off some of the same guidelines - I think they maybe based on the WHO ICD. There's panectomy for abdominal flaps of a certain length - reaching the pubic bone area - and having issues with skin infections that don't go away.

Panectomy is pretty much the only skin removal that seems to have guidelines that I've seen.
I had two different insurance carriers between consult and removal. Neither one went anywhere with coverage for any of mine - I had issues with chafing and pain when sitting because of how much loose skin I had in the glutes: I had a period where I could literally have to start shifting sides while driving my car for more than 10 minutes. No dice at all - they just kept sending back guidelines for when panectomy is covered and saying I didn't meet the requirements.

ninerbuff

I had it also............................got it from barbell squatting believe it or not. I had it removed once, but the general surgeon didn't get it all and it returned. But the 2nd time I was sent to a cancer clinic for removal. There's a small scar but it hasn't returned.................and I still barbell squat.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

MikePfirrman wrote: »

As someone that had a huge Lipoma grow on their back and had to have it taken off by a plastic surgeon, heck no. Not much fun at all. And two years after that huge one was taken off, I had another grow up near my neck, just below the shirt line. Not that noticable until I take my shirt off. It's around two inches in diameter and protrudes around an inch off my back. I've had that one for nearly 10 years. It's grown a bit lately and starting to get uncomfortable, but it's also near my spine, so I'm not in any hurry to take that one off.

I'm not a fan of elective surgeries for vanity and I have a very good reason to have a vanity surgery and I'm not doing it.

noodlesno

I have had plastic surgery for reconstruction of one breast. It was due to a birth defect I was born with call Pollands Symdrome. It did not affect my functioning so really a cosmetic procedure that was done to make me feel like a 'normal' woman. I have had the operation twice, once at 15 and once at 30 yrs old.

My advice to plastic surgery (however, it was a different procedure)

- If want you want to change something that is affecting your quality of life either mentally or physically then getting surgery is an acceptable option. However, it carries some risk so it needs to be weighed up which is more acceptable to you; the pain (mental or physical) from what you consider to be your 'imperfection' day-to-day or the cost, short-term pain and potential complications of surgery. Personally, unless my quality of life is seriously impacted by whatever I want to change it would not be worth it.
- To a certain degree you get what you pay for. Do not go for a cheap option that seems too good to be true. Think of it as a price per wear and you are wearing your body every day for the rest of your life so worth saving to get the very best.
- Go see more than one surgeon for a consultation before deciding which surgeon you want to use. First consultations are usually free or for a small fee. It is really worth finding out what they are about before trusting your life with them.
- Plastic surgery is painful and the recovery can take some time.
- It will take you time and work to come to accept your new body. It will feel fake and potentially alien to you for a while.

Hope that helps