Patients often develop localized fat deposits in the neck at the angle of the mandible and beneath the chin. These fat deposits often occur around puberty and are different from the subcutaneous layer of fat, which sits immediately beneath the skin covering the rest of the entire body. There is a plastic surgery procedure made specifically for this problem.

The question is often asked, "Who is a candidate for suction lipectomy?" The best candidates are people who have a percentage of body fat relatively close to normal. That is, in females sixteen to twenty four percent of body weight and in males, twelve to eighteen percent. It is desirable that the patient have a stable weight, i.e., maintenance of weight within one to five pounds over a three year period of time. This creates a relative equilibrium between the amount of fat consumed and the amount of fat burned by the body. Consequently, consumed excess fat is not continually being stored.

The importance of these two parameters (a low percentage of body fat and stable weight) is that these patients will have a thin enough subcutaneous fat layer to result in an enhanced appearance after removal of localized fat deposits. The subcutaneous fat layer in these patients is not so thick as to give an unfavorable appearance by itself.

Another question that is often asked is, "If I need to lose weight, should I lose this before I have the operation?" Patients who achieve weight loss before having suction lipectomy often achieve better results and are more appreciative of the procedure than patients who have the procedure before losing excess weight.

Patients also ask if exercise and restriction of ingested fat and/or calories provide the same result. Regular exercise should be a part of each person's overall health plan and allows one to ingest a few more grams (three to ten) of fat each day. It also provides joint and ligament strength, definition and muscle bulk. Especially important for those patients approaching middle age, restriction of fat intake is integral to figure contouring. Neither one of these approaches, unless practiced with a high degree of intensity and a conscientious effort, will reduce localized fat deposits.

In fact, there are numerous examples of patients who lose ten to fifteen pounds, but still retain their localized fat deposits. Although not absolutely true, it can be reliably said that these areas of fat deposits are generally refractory to weight loss.

Dave Stringham, the President of LookingYourBest.com writes about plastic surgery in Lindon, Utah and plastic surgery procedures such as utah liposuction, facelift, tummy tuck, rhinoplasty, brachioplasty, and breast augmentation.

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