How to Maintain Your Liposuction Results

While liposuction is often portrayed in the media as a glorified weight-loss solution, the reality is far from the myth – maintaining the results of liposuction after surgery is an important commitment that can’t be taken lightly. One woman’s liposuction journey, including some valuable advice about the importance of ongoing exercise, was recently profiled on ABC’s The Doctors.

Jill is a 45-year-old single mother who has long felt self-conscious about her legs, which she describes as “mushy.”

“When I get invited to a pool party, initially I have a panic attack. I’ll help in the kitchen, I’ll hang around, I’ll walk around. It’s not even an issue that I’m going to get into a bathing suit.” She wears long skirts and long dresses to conceal her legs, and confesses to feeling jealous of women with slim legs. “My son is having a bar mitzvah in December – I want to look good. It’s a very scary thing for me to think that I could wear something above my knee.”

Fortunately, Jill was a great candidate for liposuction, as she was not overweight and generally healthy. For her liposuction, surgeons Dr. Andrew Ordon and Dr. Ritu Chopra performed Vaser tumescent liposuction. This technique uses an ultrasonic wand to melt away the fat, so that it can be removed more easily. (A word to the squeamish: the video here shows some surgical footage, and is not for the faint of heart.)

A couple of months after the surgery, she steps onto the stage to show off her new look. Dr. Ordon advises her that it will take 6 to 9 months for all of the swelling and numbness to go away. He also offers advice about how to maintain the look.

“Exercising – so important – that’s how you’re going to maintain this result. We went in there, surgically removed that fat and those figure faults that weren’t budging with exercise, so… focus on exercising your lower body.” He suggests a combination of cardio and weight training as the best approach to maintaining liposuction results. “As long as you maintain a stable weight, those fat cells are gone.”