If you have lost weight but still have unwanted pockets of fat in certain areas, such as over your abdomen or hips, your doctor may recommend liposuction to remove this fat. Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure that involves using a suction device to extract the fat cells once and for all. While there are other fat reduction procedures available these days, liposuction is still a smart choice for many patients. Here are four of its benefits.

1. Liposuction targets certain areas

When you lose weight, you can not always predict where the pounds are going to fall off. Maybe you want to reduce the size of your waist, but as you lose weight, the weight primarily comes off of your backside. With liposuction, your doctor can choose what areas, specifically, to target. Other areas are completely left alone. So you can have a larger backside and more trim waistline, for example.

2. Liposuction has a long track record of success

There are myths that liposuction is unsafe or experimental. But while there are patients who have side effects, this can be said of any surgery. Liposuction has been around for decades, so doctors have had a chance to really hone their techniques and make the procedure safer. Your doctor will do an overall health analysis before the liposuction procedure to make sure you are healthy enough to go through with it. As long as they approve you, the risk of serious side effects will be very low. And most patients who do experience side effects just have more serious bruising or pain than is usual.

3. Liposuction does not require general anesthesia

There are a lot of risks associated with putting someone under general anesthesia, which is required for many cosmetic procedures. You may have an allergic reaction to the anesthetic or feel nauseous when you wake up, making for an unpleasant recovery. Liposuction is usually performed under local anesthetic, only. This means the area to be worked on is numbed, but you remain awake. This is a lot safer than being put completely under.

4. Liposuction can be repeated

Your results should be fairly obvious within a few days of the procedure once the swelling starts to go down. If you are not happy with the results, your doctor can repeat the procedure, removing more fat to get the look you desire. You may also decide you want to trim down another area with a second procedure.