How Many Body Areas Can Be Treated With Liposuction At One Time?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I work out almost every day during the week and am very adamant about a healthy diet. But despite these efforts, I have the same stubborn fat areas that will not go away. I am 5’ 4” and weight 118 lbs so I know I am at a very good weight, so more weight loss and conditioning is not the answer. My problem areas are my saddle bags on the outer thighs, my upper arms and my chubby cheeks. As a result, I have been considering liposuction for awhile. My question is can all three areas under liposuction at the same time? Or is this too much?

A: What you have is a common problem, some fat areas that are not really responsive to reasonable amounts of diet, exercise and weight loss. And these are some of the classic body areas in which the fat that is there is not that ‘metabolically responsive’. That is because it is a different kind of fat and its primary purpose for being there is not as a fat depot site. It is more of an insulating or contouring fat role. In essence, you are trying to modify the way your body was built not get rid of accumulated fat from too much storage. That is a surgical problem not a lifestyle one. Those are all areas that can be treated with liposuction as a single procedure. It is very common to treat numerous body areas with liposuction at the same time. And as long as the total volume of fat removed does not exceed 5 liters or take more than few hours to do, you are well within what would be considered  the safety zone for liposuction. Be aware that the cheeks may be bettered treated by direct lipectomies from inside the mouth rather than liposuction.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana