What are Love Handles and How Do I Get Rid of Them?

Love handles are the fat or excess skin that lingers right above our hips. Love handles are localized deposits of extra fat. Most people don't admire or desire love handles, yet they are something that practically everyone over the age of 30 carries with them. Unfortunately, many under 30 have love handles as well. Most of us don’t think the phrase love handles should be used to describe this area. Most of us would rather call these areas hate handles.

Almost everyone I know has spent hours at the gym, constantly working on infinite sets of obliques or using a new “shed fat fast” shake or pills. Most of us quickly give up after never getting rid of those hate handles, I mean love handles. Some of us are blessed with a fast metabolism and spending the same amount of time working out can have different results for different people. When the pills and the gym aren’t cutting it, sometimes it’s just better to consider other alternatives.

Before we take a deep dive into how to remove love handles surgically, lets first take a look at why we have love handles. Take a look, seriously, look at what you have on your sides, maybe a little fat in the front as well? So, now we start to convince ourselves that perhaps it's for flexibility. Right? Perhaps we get love handles so we can stretch a little more to the right or a little more to the left without resistance, right? Wrong! While there are multiple reasons why we get love handles, I am only going to discuss three common reasons.

You are eating too much! It's that simple. Maybe you were a victim of a grand marketing scheme, like those that show amazing, grilled, double jumbo, macho, vegan, skinny, baconator burger. Perhaps, you had a grandmother who always reminded you how thin you looked so she would present an ensemble of dishes at dinner. Whatever the reason, overeating or eating heavy calorie meals will only make your love handles lovelier, I mean bigger. Having a healthy diet is vital for you to start the process of minimizing those love handles.

Since getting to the gym is usually the hardest part of the process, I think it’s a safe bet to say that if we all had a magic genie that could transport us to the entrance of the gym, we would all be more fit. While it is crucial to exercise, not all of us have the luxury of time, energy, or motivation to go to the gym after our long days. Most times Netflix binging and bubble baths seem more time worthy than the gym. Let’s face it, not unless we are mentally disciplined in almost every aspect of our lives, we will not get much dieting done, let alone exercise.

It’s your parents’ fault! Moreover, before your parents, it was your grandparents that had the love handle gene. Usually the most accessible route to take is “because genetics said so.” I would not suggest going around and blaming your parents for your love handles nor go as far as finding a spirit medium to yell at grandma and grandpa. It is essential to understand that many of us inherit physical genetics from our parents or ancestors that not much dieting and exercise can help us achieve the body we desire because that is the way we are biologically programmed.

While there are other factors to consider when getting rid of love handles, these are generally the most popular ones or the ones I suggest my patients do before or after consulting with me. Regardless of your feelings about love handles, consider your options. Once you have understood your options and are convinced that those options are not for you, remember that other things can and will help you achieve the shape you have been longing for.

So, you had some time to reflect on why you have love handles. You are convinced that the universe hates you and that there is no way you will get rid of the unwanted fat above the hips. Hopefully, you have realized that there are other alternatives to dieting and exercising. You look around and the internet bombards you with too many options. In reality, it is as simple as consulting with your nearest, plastic surgeon and having him or her explain to you some procedures that will help you get one step closer to smaller sides.

In this day and age, getting plastic surgery has become more common because of pop culture. Celebrities and influencers are not only advertising that they get plastic surgery, but they are going as far as advertising where and when they are getting it. The influencer era is something that has allowed plastic surgery to become more extreme and more popular especially around young crowds. In return, this has allowed more people to be more comfortable to discuss their plastic surgery experience. Almost everything can be changed nowadays, even beauty. So knowing this, it is a safe bet to say that getting rid of love handles is a very common procedure. Usually, the love handles are removed or reduced with a liposuction procedure lasting one or two hours.

Liposuction is a type of cosmetic surgery used to remove excess, unwanted fat using suction. When considering love handle liposuction, consider the ten most commonly asked questions and their answers:

Q: How long is the surgery?

A: Usually, love handle liposuction takes about one to two hours to complete.

Q: How long is the recovery?

A: About one to two weeks.

Q: When can I return to a sitting job?

A: About one week.

Q: When can I return to an active job?

A: About three to four weeks.

Q: How long will I have pain?

A: On average, one to two weeks.

Q: When will the swelling be gone?

A: At minimum, four to six weeks.

Q: Where is the incision?

A: Usually I place two very small incisions (<0.5 cm) below the bikini line.

Q: When can I start to exercise?

A: About two weeks.

Q: When can I start using the scar cream?

A: Once the incision has completely healed, or three to four weeks.

Q: When can I have intercourse?

A: About one week after surgery.

Now you know what love handles are, what causes love handles, how to prevent love handles, and you know how to get rid of love handles. Now, it is time to make a choice. The good thing is that you have options. This means that love handles are not here to stay as long as you choose to get rid of them. For more questions on how to get rid of your love handles and for a consultation, please contact Dr. Katzen's office. Dr. Katzen has two offices conveniently located in Beverly Hills, CA .