Is liposuction a possible treatment for obesity?
Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity. It is not effective, even as a last resort. Obesity is best treated by diet, exercise, or bariatric surgery. Obese patients who have undergone large–volume liposuction almost always gain the weight back, unless there is a drastic change in their eating and exercise habits. Furthermore, obese patients are at significantly greater risk for serious surgical complications. Finally, it is not safe to liposuction more than several pounds at a time, so the quantities of fat that can be removed by liposuction are relatively small compared to the amount of weight an obese patient should lose to be normal weight. Liposuction is possible for an obese patient if there is a specific area of fat that should be suctioned for a specific reason, but not for general weight loss.
