Weight Management

		Terry Brown, MPH, RD/LD Section Editor, Weight Management Clinical Instructor, Department of Clinical Nutrition UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Liposuction patients still need to eat right and exercise to keep pounds off
Posted: January 2004
Source: UT Southwestern Health News Tips
Media Contact: Donna Steph Hansard

For those almost half million Americans who had liposuction surgery last year and the millions more considering it, diet and exercise are particularly important, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

A recent survey of more than 200 liposuction patients showed that people who have had the body-contouring surgery are three times more likely to gain weight if they don't follow a healthy diet afterward and four times more likely to add pounds if they don't exercise regularly.

On the other hand, patients who follow a healthy diet and exercise are twice as likely to lose weight after the surgery.

"If patients want positive, long-term results from liposuction, they have to be willing to eat a proper diet and exercise," said  Dr. Rod Rohrich, professor and chairman of plastic surgery at UT Southwestern. "Liposuction should not be viewed as a weight loss tool, but as an adjunct to living a healthy lifestyle. Patients should understand that they are the ones ultimately responsible for the long-term results of their liposuction."