What Is Liposuction? Liposuction is defined as a surgical method that gets rid of fat that has accumulated on certain parts of the body. The fat is removed from body parts such as the neck, hips, buttocks, abdomen or arms using a suction technique to improve their body shape contours. Liposuction is also known as body contouring or lipoplasty. Liposuction cannot be largely considered as weight loss for the entire body or an alternative to losing weight.