Liposuction is one of the popular methods of getting rid of unwanted fat from certain parts of the body. The treatment may remove fat from one area but it is more likely to reappear in any other part of the body. So says a study conducted by the University of Colorado.
Researchers, Teri L Hernandez and Robert H Eckel and others, have found that there were no published reports of randomized studies on humans about the aftermath of fat removal. They did not find any data as to whether fat reappeared after removal and if it did, then, whether in the same place. Hence, in order to answer these queries they conducted a controlled research. They carried out a randomized trial of liposuction in 32 non-obese healthy women but with disproportionate body fat distribution especially in lower regions such as abdomen and thighs.
So, first they measured the entire volunteer's body composition on the basis of abdominal, leg and arm circumferences and thickness of subcutaneous skin fold. They also did MRI scans of torso and thighs. Then the women were grouped into two groups: one group underwent a small volume of liposuction for the duration of 2 to 4 weeks. The other group was basically a control group and they were offered liposuction once the study was over. The researchers measured the volunteers after an interval of 6 weeks, 6 months and again at 12 months. Also, the volunteers were strictly instructed not to make any drastic lifestyle changes in eating or exercising during the study.
The findings of the study were:
- After 6 weeks, the percentage of body fat decreased by 2.1% in the group that underwent liposuction and 0.28% in the control group. But this difference was found to be smaller after 6 months.
- At the end of 12 months, the fat re-accumulated in the liposuction group.
- At the end of the study, the researchers found out that in liposuction group, the thigh region where liposuction was carried, the fat did not reappear but it was restored in the abdominal region when compared to the control group.
The researchers, hence, concluded that after liposuction the fat gets restored elsewhere. Experts claim that when fat is removed from the body it always tries to find a way back to the body. The reason as to why they do not return to the same region after liposuction is due to the fact that the scaffolding structure that holds the fat is lost during the liposuction.
One of the researchers, Eckel said, "The women in the liposuction group were nonetheless delighted with their results, they didn't like having the fat around their hips and thighs and just wanted it gone. And more than half the women in the control group chose to have the liposuction after the study completed, despite knowing the results."
