Excess fat
Cosmetic Surgery - Plastic Surgery - Aesthetic Medicine - Reconstructive Surgery
Adipose tissue is composed of large globular cells, the adipocytes,
which store fat in the human body. Adipose tissue and this fat form a
layer of thermal insulation beneath the skin, but its main role is to
provide a metabolic reserve. When the body is facing high energy
demands (intense muscular exercise, cold climate), fats, will be
mobilized and destroyed. Lipolysis (the breaking down of fats to
provide energy) is under hormonal control: the pituitary gland plays a
key regulatory role. Its dysfunction has physiological consequences
that are attested to in syndromes of emaciation or obesity.
The simple definition of obesity, which can be applied to all types of
obesity, is that there is an excess of body fat resulting mainly from
excessive caloric intake associated with a trend towards decreased
physical activity. Obesity brings together physical consequences with
an increased risk of mortality and morbidity (disease progression) and
psychological and social disadvantages that may affect quality of life.
The abnormally high development of adipocytes in some parts of the
human body is the source of excess fat in form of fatty deposits. These
unsightly bulges can appear in spite of a normal healthy weight, after
weight loss or even after physical exercise. When they appear, they
are permanent and no diet is really effective in eliminating them.
These fat deposits are located in the abdomen and flanks, shoulders,
hips, and buttocks. They manifest themselves, for example, as a double
chin, love handles and saddlebags.
This build-up is called cellulite. In the presence of fatty deposits,
the skin takes on a soft and flaccid consistency, with the appearance
of "orange peel", dimpled and grainy.
The lymphatic system should normally eliminate the water and toxins
that accumulate in fatty tissue by drainage, but this system is not a
pump and depends on muscle contraction, not the bloodstream. This
excess fat formation is more rapid than its removal by muscle
contraction. The more time passes, the more fatty deposits harden and
become significant. Cellulite develops.
The excess fat is often linked to more sedentary lifestyles with a
lack of physical exercise. Weight gain is a major factor in the
appearance of fatty deposits but successive diets, alternating weight
loss and weight gain, may also be a factor aggravating cellulite.
Amongst the factors contributing to the development of excess fat are
alcohol and tobacco.
The best treatment for excess fat that forms fatty deposits is
liposuction. This will reduce the stock of adipocytes or fat cells in
the treated area. Morpholiposculpture is a volume reduction technique
that provides an alternative to liposuction and does not involve going
through limiting surgery.