A New Study Shows Liposuction May Provide More than just an Aesthetic Benefit to Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Patients.
A new study shows liposuction may provide more than just aesthetic benefit to cosmetic plastic surgery patients. It may also reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes. The study, which was presented at the 2011 annual conference of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, revealed that liposuction patients experienced a decrease in triglyceride levels and white blood cell counts following surgery.Though triglycerides−a type of fat found in the blood which provides the body with energy− are important for good health, levels that are too high can increase the risk for heart disease.
The study documented the triglyceride and cholesterol levels of 322 patients who underwent liposuction and/or tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty). Those patients who had elevated triglyceride levels (greater than or equal to 150 mg/dl) before surgery experienced a triglyceride level reduction of 43 percent after surgery. This is about twice the effect that is achieved by one of the most commonly prescribed medications that is used to control triglyceride levels. For those who had normal triglyceride levels prior to surgery, levels remained unchanged.
The study also showed an 11 percent decrease in white blood cells following liposuction. An excessively high white blood cell count has been linked to medical conditions that include diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease.
These finding led the study author, a Kansas plastic surgeon, to suggest that the fat found located just beneath the skin, known as subcutaneous fat, may have a greater correlation with diabetes and heart disease, than has been previously thought. Medical experts have long considered the deeper visceral fat that surrounds the organs to have the stronger link to these medical conditions.
Liposuction was the second most popular surgical cosmetic plastic surgery procedure performed in the nation last year−just beneath breast augmentation−with more than 289,016 procedures performed, according to statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Houston plastic surgeon Dr. Henry Mentz uses liposuction as a shape-enhancing tool to improve the contours and proportions of the body.
If you are interested in learning more about liposuction and how it can be used to reshape your body, call our office at 713.799.9999 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Mentz.
