8-West Cosmetic Surgery

Body Last Updated: May 24, 2010

The Science of Fat Storage

The Role of Fat in the Body

While most of us dislike the fat that accumulates in different places in our bodies, it is important to understand that fat plays an important role in our overall health. We need it to be healthy, but we need it in the right amount. The amount of fat that the human body stores directly corresponds with a variety of health issues. People who are unable to maintain a healthy range of body fat percentage are at risk for a number of seriously health threatening diseases including diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Fat represents about 9% – 18% of body mass in healthy men, and 14% to 20% in women of a healthy weight.

While gaining too much fat is a problem for many people even in their youth, this problem is only exacerbated as a result of the natural process of the body replacing muscle with fat, known as sarcopenia.

While cosmetic surgery can offer some ways of dealing with stubborn fat deposits in healthy individuals, it can not be used as a weight management strategy. By understanding  some of the factors that influence how each person stores fat, we can become more educated and adopt healthy lifestyle strategies to help us remain at a healthy weight for the duration of our lifetime.

Fat distribution & Hormones

Estrogen causes fat to be stored in the buttocks, thighs and hips in women. When women reach menopause, the ovaries produce less estrogen, and as a result, fat tends to migrate from their buttocks, hips and thighs to their waists. When this occurs, the youthful shape, which is characterized by a slim waist in comparison to the hips, is lost. Women who are at a healthy weight but have trouble losing stubborn fat deposits around their mid section may be candidates for liposuction. If the abdominal area is also characterized by loose skin from pregnancy, they may be a candidates for abdominoplasty.