Can My Neck Get Fat Again After It Has Had Liposuction?

Q: I had liposuction done on my neck  when I weighted 185 lbs with about 15% to 16% body fat. I had a good immediate change in the shape of my neck from that procedure. I am now 170 lbs and about 12% to 13% body fat. The great results from the liposuction have persisted as I would have suspected. What I am wondering is what will happen if I gain weight back to where I originally was around 185 lbs. I am not planning to but I am curious as you never know what the future holds. Does it matter if my weight fluctuates  between 170lbs and 185lbs? Will the fat return in my neck if I gain weight back?

A: The long-term results of liposuction on most areas of the body are highly dependent on the stability of one’s weight. The neck may be a slightly more privileged site (resist fat re-accumulation) than the stomach or flanks for example, but fat can definitely return there if one gains enough weight back. I think as long as you stay under your weight at the time of your original surgery, then your neck liposuction result should be unchanged. The percent body fat and weight ranges that you are talking about are not significantly large (170 to 185 lbs) so that change will likely not make much if any difference in the neck. However, it behooves you to keep the weight off as the amount of fat that was originally in your neck was there for a reason…so don’t give it a second chance to come back to an area that it once enjoyed.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana