“I used to weigh 205 pounds,” says 24-year-old Markita. “Then after working out a lot, I got down to 150—but I still had a hard time with my tummy and thighs.”

Markita, a student and part-time model, came to Dr. Parungao from Las Vegas for liposuction to slim her problem areas.

“When I met Markita, I knew she would be an excellent candidate for liposuction,” says Dr. Parungao. “She's young. She has excellent skin tone. And I knew the small areas on her body that were resistant to diet and exercise would respond well to liposuction.”

Markita is thrilled with the results of her liposuction. “I love it!” she says. “I look great in low-rider jeans. And I'm getting more modeling jobs now that I look better in clothes.”

When she first considered liposuction, Markita admits she had some concerns. “I'd heard that some people were ‘lumpy’ after liposuction,” she says. “And I was afraid I would gain weight back in my stomach right away.”

“I always remind my patients that liposuction is not a license to eat whatever you want and skip your workouts,” Dr. Parungao cautions. “You'll still need to have a healthy diet and stay active to maintain your results.”

After her liposuction, Markita has a renewed motivation to keep the weight off. “I'm still working out,” she says. “Having liposuction gave me an extra boost because I've seen how good it looks—I don't want to get rid of that!”

Since her procedure, many people have been telling Markita, “Girl, you look good!”

“But they don't know I had liposuction,” she laughs. “My best friend is the only person I told.

“I worked hard to lose the weight before I had lipo, so I feel I've earned it,” she says. “The lipo was a bonus.”

Markita's advice to others thinking about liposuction? “If you're not ready for it—if you're not working out and eating properly—don't do it. But if you're working hard and trying to accomplish something with your body, lipo is great. It helps a lot! Lipo can really help build your confidence and self-esteem.”

Liposuction is not meant to take pounds off the scale, but to serve as a body-contouring procedure.

Your best cosmetic result will occur if you achieve your goal weight before having liposuction.