Frankfurt - A flat stomach, well-formed posterior as well as tight arms and legs are considered by many to be essential components of a beautiful body.

Unfortunately, in many cases pounds of fat stand in the way of this ideal and a trip to the surgeon for some liposuction appears tempting, even if it brings with it some risks.

Liposuction is one of the most popular elective procedures chosen by people looking to trim some weight off. In Germany for example, 19,000 such operations were carried out in 2009.

However, liposuction should not be used as an alternative to normal weight loss methods, says Joachim Graf von Finckenstein of the German Institute for Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery.

'Those who think they will lose lots of kilos as the result of an operation are mistaken,' he says.