Vanity, thy name is QuickSilver.

[Waenara]

Actually, I’m pretty sure that the theory behind liposuction is that when people gain (fat) weight, it’s because each individual fat cell becomes larger, not because of an increase in the number of fat cells. Therefore, if you lipo those cells out, then they’re just gone, and won’t come back.

However, I also remember hearing that, to a limited extent, cells removed by liposuction can later be replaced by the body. But not to the pre-lipo level.

goes off to Google up some links

[Waenara]

From Go Ask Alice:

people are not born with all of the fat cells they will ever develop. Instead, cell number continues to increase throughout adolescence. After this point, it is believed that fat cell number becomes fixed. However, if someone becomes extremely obese (60% body fat; more than 170% of normal body weight), not only will all existing fat cells be filled to their limit of about 1.0 microgram of fat per cell (normal is approximately 0.5 - 0.6 of a microgram), but more fat cells may be produced to accommodate for the extra fat that needs to be stored. Pregnancy also seems to permit formation of new fat cells.

As a consequence, childhood and adolescent obesity are generally hyperplastic in nature, whereas adult obesity is usually hypertrophic in nature. (Hyperplastic refers to fat cell number and, in the case of obesity, many less-than-filled-to-capacity fat cells would be involved. Hypertrophic refers to fat cell size and, in the case of obesity, a normal number of fat cells would be filled to capacity, or near capacity.) Hyperplastic obesity tends to be more difficult to work off and keep off because of the presence of many, very small-sized fat cells after weight loss. Since this is an unstable state for these fat cells, they can easily grow back to their previous size. Adolescent hyperplastic obesity, in particular, is usually more permanent, which indicates how important it is to prevent obesity from developing during this critical time-frame.

Another site:

Weight gain and loss changes fat cell size preferentially over fat cell number. Liposuction reduces fat cell number. While it doesn’t change the fact that you can/lose weight according to the previously mentioned factors, it does mean that it can change the distribution of that fat by reducing fat cell numbers in a certain area. It is very good then for altering body contours e.g. treating areas such as ‘saddlebags’ on the thighs.

And from Google Answers:

Will the fat cells grow back after liposuction?

“Liposuction removes fat cells permanently. The fat cells that are removed by liposuction can never come back, however if the patient gains a significant amount of weight, then new fat cell can develop. With a small weight gain, existing fat cells simply get bigger by accumulating more fat within the existing cell. However, with an increase of more than 10% of body weight one can expect new fat cell development in all areas of the body, including areas previously treated by liposuction. As an adult gains larger amounts of weight, increasing numbers of fat cells (lipocytes) are formed from existing pleuripotential connective tissue cells by a process of differentiation. Existing connective tissue cells first change into immature fat cells (lipoblasts), and then develop into mature fat cells with progressive obesity.”

If I do not gain weight, does fat come back in the treated areas?

“If a patient does not gain weight after liposuction, then fat does not come back in the treated areas. However liposuction does not stop the aging process. It is natural for the size and location of the body’s fat deposits to change gradually with increasing age. Despite expected changes with aging, the results of a successful liposuction should always be apparent.”