This fat op is doomed to fail

LIPOSUCTION was in the news this week after a 45-year-old woman ended up in intensive care at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS trust following the procedure. She’d nearly died after developing a fat embolism, where a lump of fat enters the bloodstream, blocking blood vessels. This has led to doctors warning of the dangers of liposuction. Yes, there are possible physical complications, but they are rare. The bigger issue, I think, is the psychological aspect. I have seen numerous patients and have even had friends who’ve undergone the procedure, and it rarely seems to achieve what people want. Yes of course it removes unwanted fat — although often patients complain about an uneven surface. But most importantly, liposuction can’t hope to address the real issue of why someone is so unhappy with their body — which all too frequently is about low selfesteem. People’s relationships play a big part, too, with many holding on to the false belief that if, for example, they had a flatter tummy, then their boyfriend would love them. Even worse, if they fail to change their eating habits, they’ll just put the weight back on. My advice: have psychotherapy for two years (at a fraction of the cost of liposuction) and work on your self esteem. If, after this, you still want it done, do it with my blessing. So far, not a single person to whom I’ve said this has gone on to have liposuction, but they’ve all felt much better about themselves.