Liposuction not permanent: study

The research, conducted by a team at the University of Colorado, assessed not only whether the fat returned after liposuction but on what body part.

A group of 14 non-obese women undertook the procedure and were assessed six weeks, six months and a year after the surgery. A small amount of fat was taken from either their thighs and hips or their thighs, hips and lower abdomen.

Women assigned to the control group did not undertake the procedure.

The results, which were published in April in the journal Obesity, found that after one year not only had the fat returned, but this was redistributed to the stomach area rather than the thighs.

"Although liposuction surgery resulted in a desirable and retained cosmetic benefit over one year, and an initial decrement in total %BF [percentage body fat] was observed at six weeks, weight and total %BF were not different one year later compared with control," the report read.

"Fat reaccumulated preferentially in the abdominal region whether suctioned or not, and more slowly in the hip and thigh region."

Dr Philip Rome, a spokesman for the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, tells his patients that liposuction offers no guarantees, particularly if they fall into bad eating habits afterwards.

"If you have liposuction that is not your free ticket to never having fat in that area," he says.

Anecdotally he supports the study findings, but says its small sample size means more research is warranted.

The fact that the fat returns to the stomach doesn't surprise him.

"Anatomically you can imagine that your tummy is more designed for storing organs and keeping them warm," he says.

"The arms and legs are designed for being exposed to the elements and moving."

Dr Rome says liposuction is one of the top three "aesthetic surgery procedures" in Australia alongside breast augmentation and facial work like rhinoplasty. It is popular with both men and women.