Judith Newman has had liposuction twice, so she wasn’t surprised when a new study in Obesity magazine confirmed what she already knew. The fat comes back. What you need to know is that Judith does not care. Judith is not insane; she’s a beauty editor for Marie Claire. In the July issue, she offers a new “take” on liposuction.

Judy had liposuction on her hips and thighs twice, gained back all the weight and more and, still, she’s not sour on liposuction. The first time she had liposuction the weight reappeared on her stomach, where she’d never had weight before. The second time she had lipo, she also had a tummy tuck to get rid of stretched skin from childbirth. She regained the weight, but the fat landed on her buttocks, just where she wanted it.

In the Obesity study, 32 non-obese women in their 30’s with extra weight in the hips, thighs and stomach were divided into two groups. One group had lipo in their problem areas, removing about six pounds of fat, and the other group did not. Both groups were instructed not to change their patterns of diet and exercise. One year later, the women undergoing liposuction weighed the same as they had before lipo.

According to the researchers, your body “defends” its fat supply. If you were not created like Keira Knightley, your body does not want you to look like her.

A prominent surgeon advises that if you’re bothered by hips or saddlebags that are out of balance with the rest of your body, liposuction will most likely work for you, even if the pounds return. “Liposuction is not about weight loss—but about contouring.”

This information is not so new, when you consider that for years plastic surgeons have been telling patients to lose weight before undergoing liposuction. For more information about body contouring, contact a board-certified plastic surgeon at the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.