Reasons why women should NEVER resort to liposuction

Options
frenchy2010
frenchy2010 Posts: 70
in Motivation and Support
A word of warning to all the ladies who have ever considered liposuction:

Brief: I was unfortunate enough to become a guinea pig to a hair salon's opening of their new cosmetic spa when I was in my early 20's. Originally just wanting a mere hair cut, they offered 2 free procedures at their "spa" next door. Sweet! I thought... One of the sample procedures was that which "temporarily" gets rid of fat through "external high radio frequency pulses". No way did it even come across my mind that this was a form of "liposuction". Ah the naive little girl learned a big life lesson...and came home two hours later without her feminine curves and one year later with major consequences.

1. Studies and patient testimonies have shown that causes fat "redistribution" after 1 year, especially to upper abdomen, triceps, upper arms, and worst of the worst, intra-organs (13% increase viscerally!) - potentially creating an "apple" shaped body upon weight gain.
2. Liposuction could theoretically cause hormonal imbalance - for women, one way in which estrogen is synthesized in the body is through fat cells. If you take away estrogen-dominant fat areas, such as inner thighs or love handles, you are potentially taking away your bank of extra estrogen storage needed during menopause as well as creating an unpredictable outcome of your body shape during this stage.
3. Love handles, the place where many women resort to liposuction, can, when at an ideal weight, create the illusion of a smaller waist-to-hip ratio. Once taken away, it can create a "log" effect, similar to that of a man's. Love handles are beautiful if kept under control through diet and exercise.
4. Aesthetically, liposuction could result in asymmetry, skin discoloration, and lumps, and physically could result in infection, nerve damage, etc.
5. If you are doing it for losing weight, you are doing it for the wrong original purpose of liposuction. It was meant for changes in shape not weight. If you MUST, fat transfer is at least salvaging your estrogen bank.
6. Be happy with your body and excited about meeting your potential through the most natural means; you know the benefits of exercise combined with diet. It's highly rewarding, not to mention less risky and more cost-efficient than surgical alterations. As the age old adage goes, you never realize what you had until it is gone...

Links:
http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v19/n7/full/oby201164a.html
http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2010/100112.html
«1

Replies

  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    And feel free to post your own reasons!
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    Options
    Never have had it done myself. But a close friend of mine did along with a tummy tuck and boob job. She looked AWESOME for several months. But having gone the 'easy route' for weight loss and body change, she quickly gained weight and it appears to me to have distributed itself quite a bit differently on her body. I know she is very very unhappy with herself which makes me sad.

    I'd say the main reason I've never seriously considered it is that it doesn't teach you how to change what made you fat in the first place. I guess if you have lots o' money, you could just keep going back and getting the fat sucked out lol, but I don't believe anyone is incapable of doing it the old-fashioned way, through proper diet and nutrition and physical activity, though every individual is different and it may take some tweaking to find your own sweet spot.
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    Yes, I have been struggling for year with the effects of this procedure I naively came across. It was free so I figured it couldn't hurt a fly. But alas, the effects are thus far permanent. In one year I went from having the body of a young 20 year old to the body of a peri-/post-menopausal woman. It caused a major identity crisis, considering how quick the change was.

    I wish there were proper studies done on the effects liposuction has on the endocrine but I'm assuming the funding is lacking - or more so, plastic surgeons invest in more positive studies of liposuction, thus reinforcing the "benefits" of it.
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    Never have had it done myself. But a close friend of mine did along with a tummy tuck and boob job. She looked AWESOME for several months. But having gone the 'easy route' for weight loss and body change, she quickly gained weight and it appears to me to have distributed itself quite a bit differently on her body. I know she is very very unhappy with herself which makes me sad.

    I'd say the main reason I've never seriously considered it is that it doesn't teach you how to change what made you fat in the first place. I guess if you have lots o' money, you could just keep going back and getting the fat sucked out lol, but I don't believe anyone is incapable of doing it the old-fashioned way, through proper diet and nutrition and physical activity, though every individual is different and it may take some tweaking to find your own sweet spot.

    Also, how old was your friend when she had it done? Here's an interesting link you could show her - it shows that with liposuction, training is a MUST in order to keep off visceral fat, and even though it may require more effort than it once had, it's far better than doing nothing:

    http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2012/04/liposuction-shifts-fat-from.html
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    Options
    My friend did this when she was 30. The article was interesting, I will share with here, thanks!
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    You're welcome! Hopefully in the future there will be adult stem cell options in the future where we can re-inject fat that was lost in the process! Keeping my fingers crossed...
  • cherbert1
    cherbert1 Posts: 19
    Options
    I have heard that - that the fat just redistributes to other places on the body instead of a natural curvy distribution that most women would have. It's scary!
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    I know! What's even scarier is that the majority of plastic surgeons deny this!

    I've always wonder if fat transfers could resolve the fat re-distribution problem or worsen the problem, considering that only 60% fat survives in the process... It seems like a catch-22!
  • petiteLady89
    petiteLady89 Posts: 198 Member
    Options
    I have a love hate relationship with my love handles. I hate them and my husband loves them. It's always the very last thing to shrink when I lose weight.
  • petiteLady89
    petiteLady89 Posts: 198 Member
    Options
    I've thought about lipo. Not anymore!
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    Glad I could convince you to run the other way! Trust me, as much as we hate the fluctuation of subcutaneous fat in our female bodies, there is a reason why we have more of it than men, and there is a reason why we should cherish it. There have also been theories that omega-3s are stored in the hip area, which I often wonder affected me. I developed severe thyroid issues after having this done, not to mention other health problems. Enjoy your love handles! They are beautiful and there is a reason why they have such a name!
  • WickedPixie1
    WickedPixie1 Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    I recently watched a program on the use of lasers in spas. I don't think it was necessarily for Lipo, but it could be a similar situation.
    They sent in undercover people who were never told of potential dangers or side effects. They showed 'victims' who had received severe burns on their faces and bodies and some deformities as a result of this kind of spa treatment.
    An undercover reporter had signed up for training and in less than an hour, she was certified to use the laser machine. She could also rent a machine from her 'trainer' and start the next day. The machince she received showed things that were cause for major concern. It was a huge, scary joke to find that anyone can do this if you can afford the rent or cost of the machine.

    I think if you did want that kind of procedure done, you really need to do a fair bit of research on the medical qualifications of the person performing the procedure, their training and so on.

    http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5-investigation-the-painful-side-to-laser-skin-treatments-1.759779
    http://www.liposuction.com/qualifications-of-surgeons.html
    http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1272747-overview
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    Oh that's pretty creepy. I'm surprised why there is such laxity surrounding such dubious and unsafe places.

    I agree that if you just HAVE to get surgery, you need to go to a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. But even then, there are some kooks out there - some that even have you sign documents preventing you from writing negative reviews! Scary...
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    This lady here lost her curves completely. Though she says she's happy, it's so sad...

    https://www.google.com/search?q=chelle229 liposuction&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=etMmUJqECcTviQLW9oCACw&biw=1122&bih=1017&sei=ftMmUMbPBaTniAKEiICwCw
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    KOLATA-blog480.jpg
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    Sorry to be the only one posting on here, but does anybody know anybody who got a fat transfer with success? Any suggestions will help... I'm hanging on a thread, and I have no idea how to fix this situation aside from either a) a fat transfer from the arms back to the flanks where the fat was originally stolen, or b) wait for scientists to be able to grow fat in a petri dish and then inject it back in my fllanks...
    If I do a) I'd be afraid of more fat redistribution if the fat does not take - especially in the visceral area.
    I just want to go back looking like my old self...
  • Callean321
    Callean321 Posts: 44 Member
    Options
    I feel so bad for you. I wish that I had answers for you. I appreciate you for informing me about this. Thanks to you, I will never get lipo!
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    I feel so bad for you. I wish that I had answers for you. I appreciate you for informing me about this. Thanks to you, I will never get lipo!

    Thanks, Callean321. I'm so glad that I could help you. I guess the least I can do is convince ladies not to go down such an unknowingly destructive path... I've come to terms that this will be a lifelong struggle for me and unfortunately I can only blame myself for such a decision. Though liposuction should be banned in general.
    I think one of the worst parts of what happened to me was that I was dating a guy long distance and had to end it due to such a drastic change, hormonally, physically, mentally, aesthetically, etc.!
    Had I known the effects of such a procedure, I would have chosen exercise and diet any day as the life long rewards from life long exercise are both *controllable* and exciting every step of the way! Transformation on your own accord and your own doing is much, much more satisfactory and rewarding than having someone else do it for you!!! Good luck with everything!
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    Last thing on my part until someone else posts:

    If you check out my photos, you will see the difference between my body before the procedure (greenish grey dress) and one year after (black two-piece). I was in pretty good shape in general before hand, so there really wasn't any need to get anything done. But...it was free...eh, I guess the so-called poor part of being a student got the best of me...
    The changes *externally* are a bit subtle - if you can see, the upper body is a little bigger and more rectangular (decreased flanks, increased back fat/upper abs) in the swimsuit as opposed to curvier and top-wise slender in the green/grey dress, though neither pictures show the arm change well enough - however *internally* (i.e. viscerally, etc.) the changes are enormous and caused health problems I had to sort out for a year.

    Hope this helps get a better picture of what I'm talking about!
  • frenchy2010
    frenchy2010 Posts: 70
    Options
    THIS is the ultimate proof: Patient Testimonials - 1 year post op....

    http://plasticsurgery.about.com/u/ua/bodycontouringsurgery/lipo_weightgain_UA.htm

Categories