While Japanese and Korean women are already the least obese in the world, they are also the very groups who tend to worry about weight control above almost any other cosmetic concern.

Their interest in liposuction, however, is not to shed more pounds (not a reasonable indication for liposuction surgery).

Liposuction is instead undertaken to remove localized stubborn fat deposits that won't respond to diet and exercise. Fat transfer procedures, on the other hand, address the opposite problem by moving fat from one area of the body to another where it appears to be deficient.

The principles underlying both types of fat plastic surgery apply to patients of all ethnicities, and so both types of procedures work well on the Asian face and body as long as the surgeon understands and respects the differences in Asian bone structure, skin quality, and adipose tissue distribution.

Additional information on liposuction and lipotransfer to treat specialized areas such as the forehead or the calves can be found separately in the appropriate Sections above.