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Cellulite Surgery

Liposuction. It's surgery, it's drastic, but it can literally suck the fat out of your bottom and thighs.

We've all dreamt of waking up one day and all the crinkley, lumpy bits have disappeared overnight. It's the instantaneousness of liposuction that tempts us - no more staring in the mirror week after week to see if there's any improvement, no more 10-week regimes - just whoosh! and it's gone. So is liposuction really the answer for cellulite?

One thing's for sure - you'll certainly notice a difference after liposuction. Surgeons have removed as much as three litres of fat in one session, resulting in the bottom or thighs measuring several inches less, meaning you can buy clothes at least a size smaller than before you lay down on the operating table.

But it's expensive, not without risk and discomfort, and does not remove all your cellulite - since it doesn't tackle the cause of it. Because it sucks fat out of your body and some of that fat is cellulite, you will have less cellulite. So in a way it's simply a drastic and instant form of weight loss - you might go from having a size 12 bottom with cellulite to having a size 10 bottom with cellulite.

So who does it work for?

Women who are very pear-shaped, so that their bottom half is out of proportion to the top half, are most likely to benefit from liposuction to improve cellulite. That's those of us who, if we're brave enough to buy a bikini, are tempted to swap the bottom part for one two sizes bigger.

For these unlucky ladies, no matter how much they diet and exercise, the bottom-heavy shape will still remain. Their bodies are simply genetically predisposed to hang on to fat cells below the waist, like a Terrier hanging on to a bone when all the other dogs have let it go.

It may have been nature's way of ensuring females had enough fat cells to support a pregnancy in times of famine. But the knowledge that you could live off your fat longer than anyone else if you're lost in the Peruvian jungle is little consolation when all you want to do is look reasonable on the beach.

Women with this shape have been known to end up with hollow cheekbones and a boney chest while their bottoms - though reduced from dieting and toned from exercise - would still make J-Lo proud. And, if they are also genetically cellulite-prone, possibly because they have high levels of oestrogen, those bottoms will still be dimply.

If they can't just glory in being a J-Lo shape and accept that cellulite goes with the territory, then liposuction can at least reduce the size of their bottom half and give their figures more of a balanced hour-glass shape.

In reducing the amount of fat, liposuction will reduce the amount of cellulite, simply because you're going to end up with a smaller bottom and/or slimmer thighs. But some cellulite will still remain, and if you put on weight it is likely to increase again. However, being more in proportion may be worth it. Hourglass or pear? Only you can decide.

What actually happens?

Liposuction is usually performed under a general anaesthetic. Several small incisions are made to allow a narrow cannula or tube to access the fat underneath the skin. The fat is then suctioned out through the tube.

The risks

You'll run the same risks with liposuction that you get with any surgery, including infection, bleeding, or fluid overload from the anaesthetic. Withliposuction, if too much fat and fluid is removed the body can go into shock and the blood pressure drop drastically, which could be fatal. So doing your research and making sure you only put your bottom in the hands of an experienced surgeon with an established track record goes without saying.

Swelling and scarring

The instant results actually take a few weeks to become clear. Puffiness and swelling post-op will mean that you don't get to see the full benefits of the surgeon's handiwork until your body's had a chance to recover. The holes where the cannulas have been inserted will leave scars, but these should be small and hopefully in places where few people will get the chance to see them. Obviously you're not going to get away with having all this done without it hurting, but, like most surgery, discomfort can be controlled with painkillers.

Will it come back?

Yes, definitely if you put on weight, and probably if you stop exercising or your healthy diet goes out of the window. The surgery will have removed some of the cellulite but it will have done nothing to prevent the underlying cause of the stuff - whether that's genetic or hormonal, exacerbated by junk food, a couch potato lifestyle or whatever. So the message is clear - if you're going to go to the trouble and expense of liposuction, there's even more reason to eat well, exercise and do all the other things that keep cellulite at bay, not less. There's no escape!


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