Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of Graph Search.
Concept
Liposuction
Summary
Liposuction, or simply lipo, is a type of fat-removal procedure used in plastic surgery. Evidence does not support an effect on weight beyond a couple of months and does not appear to affect obesity-related problems. In the United States, liposuction is the most common cosmetic surgery.
The procedure may be performed under general, regional, or local anesthesia. It involves using a cannula and negative pressure to suck out fat. As a cosmetic procedure it is believed to work best on people with a normal weight and good skin elasticity.
While the suctioned fat cells are permanently gone, after a few months overall body fat generally returns to the same level as before treatment. This is despite maintaining the previous diet and exercise regimen. While the fat returns somewhat to the treated area, most of the increased fat occurs in the abdominal area. Visceral fat—the fat surrounding the internal organs—increases, and this condition has been linked to life-shortening diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and heart attack.
There are two different uses for liposuction: cosmetic liposuction to change the body's contour or shape and reconstructive, medically necessary liposuction. Reconstructive uses include treatment of lipedema, to remove excess fat in the chronic medical condition lymphedema, and to remove lipomas from areas of the body.
Cosmetic liposuction should not be used as a weight-loss plan but to aesthetically improve the appearance of body parts and contour. Benefits from cosmetic liposuction appears to be of a short-term nature with little long-term effect. After a few months fat typically returns and redistributes. Liposuction does not help obesity-related metabolic disorders like insulin resistance.
The fact that the effects of liposuction are short term, it cannot be depended upon to improve the appearance of the body or its contours.
There are many articles and references to liposuction as "cosmetic" and not reimbursed by medical insurance companies. Most of this information is outdated.
Official source
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.