Fat tissue is an integral part of the human body structure and its quantity and distribution have a significant influence on body shape and appearance. Its primary function is storage and source of energy, and secondary: retention of body warmth. Persons with normal body weight have 10 to 15 kg of fat tissue on average, while obese persons can have more than 100 kg of fat tissue in extreme cases. It is interesting, that the fat tissue in normally built persons contains a more or less uniform number of fat cells, while there can be a several times larger number of fat cells in morbidly obese persons. The number of fat cells, however, is only responsible for a smaller number of obesity cases; the more frequent reason is the augmentation of the fat cells volume.

Fat tissue can cause two basic types of disorders: general obesity, which can, in time, turn into a serious psycho-physical illness, and cellulite, which is mostly only an aesthetic problem, and practically only appears in women. There are certain parts of women's body, which are, in a way, predefined to host special localized fat deposits. Before all, those are the waist, hips, inner knees and inner thighs, ankles, upper arms and chin. These exactly are the places, where the unwanted cellulite will form in time and under the influence of a number of factors.

Liposuction is a surgical procedure of permanent removal of subcutaneous fat tissue by suction through minimal, about 3 - 5 mm long incisions in the skin. It is especially suitable for cellulite removal, and it is also used for lipoma removal as well as in the cases of gynaecomastia (breast development in men).

Post-surgery period inevitably includes swelling, which is visible in the first days after the surgery, and then it gradually disappears over 4 to 6 weeks.

Typically, there is no lumpiness and skin irregularities, and the skin adapts well to the new surface. It is only in exceptional cases in elderly persons with reduced skin elasticity, that the excess skin has to be excised, too. Rest is recommended and wearing special compression garments is obligatory during the first week after the surgery. Regular every-day activities may be resumed in the next 3 to 4 weeks, but major physical strains are to be avoided. Typically, liposuction results are outstanding and practically permanent; they are visible already three weeks to one month after the compression garments are removed.

As the modern taste of the Western cultural circle dictates a more or less slim figure as a significant precondition for attractiveness of not only women, but also men, liposuction is becoming a more and more frequently sought aesthetic procedure. The earliest age, at which it can be recommended, is the end of puberty, that is, around the age of 18. Optimum results are achieved at the age between 25 and 50, but there is no upper age limit.

Liposuction alone, however, does not suffice in the cases of general obesity, when the excess fat amounts to tens of kilograms. Still, undergoing this treatment can be an encouragement to start a weight reduction diet, which will substantially reduce the excess fat. After that, a renewed surgical procedure can be undertaken to remove the most resistant fat or cellulite deposits, to give the body a new, nicer shape.

Combined with appropriate physical exercises and a weight reduction diet, as well as changes in the way of life and regular diet, this aesthetic and surgical procedure will offer a person a possibility to become and remain more satisfied with his or her own appearance.