As happy as a person can be with his or her appearance, if they were really "put on the spot" as to what it is that they would really want to change about themselves, it would be their extra fat. Pretty much only athletes are the ones who have no fat, so obviously that leaves fat-free people in the minority.

However, for the rest of the world's population, there is the possibility of liposuction. This is definitely something that has made its way into popular culture, and there are no signs of the popularity of liposuction ever really slowing down. When you think about liposuction, an immediate image might come to mind. In this image, a Hollywood actress is involved, running down the beach in a bikini. Obviously, it was liposuction that got her body looking so fabulous.

Yes, this procedure is something that many entertainment professionals have gotten. They are, after all, in a business where their success is mostly based upon how good they look, as opposed to actual talent. However, it is important to note that many regular people have had the procedure done as well.

When it comes to the excess fat that people tend to store, men usually store it entirely in their torso. While men can definitely have this procedure done, it is most often performed on women. As for where women store their fat, it is usually in their stomach and thighs.

Fat can build up in these areas in a variety of different ways. First of all, if the person has a diet that is low in fiber and high in fat, the body cannot process all of that excess fat. So, it will start storing the fat in areas of the body. It is actually very similar to how a bear ends up storing fat for hibernation. Only, people obviously do not hibernate.

This brings up the next issue of how a person becomes the right candidate for the procedure. First of all, a person who is extremely overweight cannot think of having this procedure done, because the procedure is only meant to get rid of small amounts of fat at a time.

Thus, the ideal candidate is a person who, despite having a diligent diet and exercise regime, still has a little bit of extra fat that is really harming their self-esteem. The procedure itself involves inserting a long metal tube directly into the fat layer. The tube is actually attached to a motorized device, so this vacuum effect is what sucks the excess fat out.

The procedure itself is done under general anesthetic, is moderately expensive, and a short hospital stay might be required, depending on the area that was worked on. However, the recovery time should only be a week or two. The overall results should be seen immediately, but it is important to note that there is an overall healing process (which includes swelling and bruising) that has to take place before the patient will be able to see the final look.