Liposuction removes localised fat deposits through fine cannulas when diet and exercise have not shifted them. It is a contouring operation. It is not a treatment for obesity and it will not make you lose weight.
What it does not do
It does not remove cellulite or stretch marks. It does not tighten slack skin, and a significant skin excess points towards a different operation. The result also depends on weight stability, since remaining fat can enlarge if weight goes up afterwards.
The question of volume
The 5,000 mL large-volume threshold is often presented as a scientific limit. It is a convention: the American Society of Plastic Surgeons states there is no scientific data supporting an absolute cutoff and that a safe volume is relative to body weight. What the figures do show is that volume shifts risk. In a series of more than 4,500 patients, with a mean of roughly two litres removed, the overall complication rate was 1.5%, but it was 3.7% above five litres against 1.1% at or below. The commonest complication is a seroma needing drainage. Serious risks include pulmonary oedema and pulmonary embolism.
The weeks afterwards
A compression garment is worn constantly for several weeks. Numbness in the treated area typically lasts six to eight weeks. Gentle exercise usually restarts at around three to four weeks, while strenuous activity is avoided for ten to twelve weeks. Bruising and swelling settle gradually over a period that can extend to six months, which is why the final shape cannot be judged from a photograph taken on the day you fly home. Ask what happens if a contour irregularity appears, and who reviews you for it.