In our popular culture, the word “fat” often causes people to frown with disgust. Having body fat imposes a huge emotional burden on many of us. If you’ve ever cringed at hearing yourself or someone else described as “fat,” or you’ve felt frustrated and defeated as you tried to squeeze yourself into a certain outfit, only to discover your clothes no longer fit your body, you know how this burden feels.
Yet fat tissue is essential. Fat cells serve several important purposes in the human body – indeed, the body could not survive without some of its fat stores! To understand whether liposuction is the right choice, and to make informed decisions about the procedure, it’s important to know a little bit about fat tissue and how it works.
Fat is one type of “tissue” – an arrangement of cells that compose the body. Other body tissue types include bone, muscle, tendons, and nerves. Every type of body tissue has a job to do, and is structured in order to do that job.
Some of fat tissue’s “jobs” in the body include storing energy and certain vitamins, including vitamins A and D. This stored energy is what makes endurance activities like long-distance running or a weekend spent doing constant gardening or home repairs possible. Fat also cushions your body when you fall or bump into things. Fat helps you float in water, and it does an excellent job of keeping your body temperature steady.
Human bodies produce two types of fat cells, known a “brown” fat and “white” fat. Brown fat cells line the blood vessels, heart, and vital organs. As a result, brown fat is believed to play a key role in regulating body temperature. “White” fat cells sit under the surface of the skin. They are the cells that are burned for energy and replaced when you eat more than your metabolism can burn. They’re also the cells that are removed during liposuction.
Brown fat cells tend to disappear as we grow. Infants have more brown fat for their size than adults. White fat cells, however, do not disappear. They may grow or shrink, but they tend to stay put, unless they are removed through a procedure like liposuction. Once they are removed, they are gone and will not return! This means that your results are permanent.
For a free, private consultation about your liposuction options in Cleveland, please call our team at The Cosmetic Surgery Center at (216) 264-8100.
To see more of our results- visit our before and after gallery.