A good liposuction result is measured by waist, shape and proportion, not by weight. Liposuction typically removes only about 2 to 5 kg, so the scale barely moves while the appearance can change significantly. Judging the operation by weight measures the wrong thing and produces disappointment with a technically good result.
Answer in 30 seconds
- The scale is the wrong measure. Liposuction typically removes only about 2 to 5 kg.
- Waist, shape and proportion are the right measures.
- The mirror and the scale disagree, and both are telling the truth.
- Patients can look very different while weighing almost the same.
- A patient who books liposuction for the scale has chosen the wrong operation.
- A good result should look natural on that particular body, not identical to someone else’s.
Consultations at The Offices 2, One Central, 6th Floor, Dubai.
Why is weight the wrong measure?
Weight is the wrong measure because liposuction removes a small amount of tissue by weight and a significant amount by shape.
“Liposuction is not a weight loss surgery. Yes, we remove fat, so the weight can go down a little. But this is not how I measure a good result.”
The number on the scale and the reflection in the mirror can move by very different amounts after the same operation. Both are accurate. They are measuring different things.
Full detail on the numbers is in the article on how many kg you lose with liposuction.
What is measured instead?
Waist, shape and proportion.
“I look at your waist. Your shape. Your proportions.”
These are relational measures rather than absolute ones. A waist reads as narrow in relation to what sits above and below it, which is why the abdomen, flanks and back are planned together rather than treated as separate areas. That is the organising idea of LipoHP in Dubai.
This is also why a measurement in centimetres taken at the waist alone tells you less than it appears to. The same waist measurement reads differently on two different torsos.
How much difference does it actually make?
The visible difference can be considerable while the weight change is small.
Where the underlying question is whether the fat bothering you is fat at all, that is covered in stubborn belly fat that will not go away.
When should a result be judged?
Not immediately. Swelling settles progressively, and the shape visible in the first weeks is not the final shape.
What this means practically is that a patient judging their result in week two is judging something that has not finished happening.
What should you ask a surgeon about results?
Ask what the surgeon is aiming to change, and in what terms.
A surgeon who answers in kilograms is measuring the wrong thing. A surgeon who answers in terms of waist, shape and proportion is describing the operation you are actually having.
Ask also how the result will be assessed afterwards and at what intervals, because a practice that has a follow up schedule has thought about the months after surgery, not only the day of it. Where a result has gone wrong, the reasons are set out in why some liposuction results look artificial.
Request a consultation to discuss what a good result would look like on your body.
Written by Dr. Augusto Valente Plastic surgeon in Dubai
