A weight loss plan involving eating the right food and following a strict exercise routine will lead to a permanent reduction in weight.
However, in spite of this, there may be isolated areas of the body harboring fatty tissue that don't respond to a diet or exercise. These areas may be the face, the neck, the side of the hips, the buttocks, the top of the leg, and the thigh. For those people wanting to get rid of these pockets of fat then Liposuction may be the answer.
Liposuction is not a method of achieving weight loss - it's a method of reshaping the body contours of a person. Of getting rid of those unsightly bumps on a body that make a person look overweight; of giving a person a new lease on life and the confidence to face the future feeling a lot better.
It should be mentioned that Liposuction is a surgical procedure, and like all surgical procedures carries an element of risk The level of risk should be explained to the patient in the preliminary interview with the surgeon.
Liposuction covering a small area of the body can be carried out with a local anesthetic in the surgeon's premises, or in the case of larger areas of the body with a general anesthetic and as an overnight patient in a hospital.
The theory behind the procedure is quite simple - areas of the body affected by isolated pockets of fatty tissue have a small tube inserted under the skin and the fatty tissue is sucked out using a small vacuum device. The affected area may be injected with a solution that partially liquefies the fat making removal easier.
Not everyone is able to have Liposuction. Diabetics for example are precluded; the patient should not be overweight; and they should have firm, elastic skin that can reshape itself after the fat has been removed. The latter would prevent older people from undergoing the procedure. A plastic surgeon may only agree to operate after the patient has tried to get rid of the fat by dieting and exercising.
For a grossly overweight person, suffering from obesity, who cannot lose any fat after trying diets and exercise, there is another, more complicated, procedure for achieving permanent weight loss. This is called Gastric Bypass Surgery.
This is a course of action that involves re-arranging the digestive system of the patient. Part of the stomach and part of the small intestine are bypassed, allowing the food to pass into the lower, and smaller, area of the reduced stomach. Thus a much smaller amount of food is held in the stomach giving the person the feeling of being full, of not needing any more food.
This minor operation can result in dramatic and permanent weight loss particularly for those who are grossly overweight. The whole body quickly adapts to having to deal with less food in the stomach, and weight loss is both immediate and noticeable.
However, as with all surgical procedures, there is an element of risk involved. But the surgeon would make the patient fully aware of these.
The surgeon should also make the patient fully mindful of the need for a radical change of life-style involving a more nutritious diet, and undertaking a regular exercise program on a daily basis. A person not prepared to make these changes to their life should not contemplate this operation.
However once an overweight person can visualize the benefits that Gastric Bypass Surgery brings, there shouldn't be any problems in adapting to a changed life-style.
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