It might seem on the surface that  both liposuction and gastric bypass surgery are the same thing in terms of shedding fat from your body. Of the  ways to lose weight; however, the two are very different and appropriate for seperate groups of people.

If you want to see how the procedures differ in their results, it's essential to first understand the elements of liposuction and gastric bypass surgery, and why people choose  them in the first place.

Beginning with gastric bypass surgery-- this procedure is only for patients that are one-hundred pounds overweight. In addition they should have been at this weight for more than one year.

If a person meets this requirement, the stomach can be surgically cut by a physician or tied with a band to shrink it and thereby reduce the food necessary for the person to feel full.

It is this 'feeling' that is important. It is what, according to this procedure, will most help the patient in staying thin.

So, to put it another way, gastric bypass is only for weight loss in those persons that were once highly obese.

Once the surgery has been undergone, the person must adhere to strict dieting and start regular exercise to shape and tone-up those portions of the body that have undergone dramatic weight loss. In some cases additional surgery (tummy tucks) may also be used to remove the excess skin hanging loose from the once-obese body.

Liposuction is best suited for persons who seek to remove a lesser amount of fat than in the above surgery, while still shaping and giving tone to those troubled areas where fat causes unsightly protruding.

Liposuction is undergone by placing a small tube beneath the skin of the abs, thighs, buttocks, chin, arms or jaw, and the fat cells that are found in those areas are sucked out by a surgical-vacuum.

The extraction of these fat cells is good for weight loss, as a patient will never get fat cells again in the area they were taken from; however, lacking proper diet and exercise, the fat will again begin to form in other parts of the body.

Unlike gastric bypass surgery, the requirements for liposuction are not as strict in order to undergo the procedure, nor is dieting required to keep optimal health. The procedure is highly suited for patients that have tried both diet and exercise but can't achieve loosing those few pounds or lumps of fat, no matter how they make an effort.

Both gastric bypass and liposuction  are invasive medical procedures with marked  results. It's essential for a patient to understand what these procedures can and cannot do, in order  to avoid disappointment. 

This is  why it's best, when considering gastric bypass or liposuction to speak with an authoritative (experienced) physician or plastic surgeon in order to determine which  is appropriate for  them and their weight problem.

Factors which  the doctor would consider  include a patient's current weight, current and previous medical status,  medications, lifestyle  and the wished-for expectations of a  liposuction or gastric bypass procedure.

Though liposuction and gastric bypass surgery may seem to be the same on the surface as surgical methods to loose weight, the two procedures are quite different and this should be kept in mind when deciding which is right for you.