Kirkland Dermatologic Surgeons

Is Abdominal Bulge After Liposuction Normal?

I had liposuction in my upper & lower abdomen, love handles, & lower back 2 months ago. Most of the discomfort is gone. About one month after lipo a bulge formed in the center of my abdomen just above & below my belly button. My doctor told me it was uneven swelling and to continue to massage & wear garment. I'm concerned that it's not going to go away. Is it really swelling? If so, how long until bulge disappears? When I lie down my tummy is completely flat; but when standing bulge is there.

Possible factors that can cause a bump after liposuction are induration (most common cause that appears about one week after liposuction and slowly dissapates over 6 months), uneven fat removal (area would be soft after about 4 months), muscle issues (ventral hernia, diastasis- this would get much bigger whenever you flex to do an abdominal 'crunch' exersize), hematoma/seroma ( slowly dissapates).  Hopefully over time your issue has resolved.

Good luck!

Julie E. Voss, MD

Kirkland Dermatologic Surgeon

Liposuction vs. Chin Tuck - What's the Best Option for Me?

Regarding the chin tuck and scarring that I asked about earlier.....I am actually leaning towards the liposuction option more than a chin tuck....got my terms mixed up. It seems like the best option with the least amount of scarring. Here is my picture....maybe that will give you a better idea of what will work best for me. Thanks!

You look like a great Tumescent liposuction of the neck candidate.  It takes about 30 minutes and is under local anesthesia and produces great results.

Good luck!

Julie E. Voss, MD

Kirkland Dermatologic Surgeon

Untether Skin from Muscle to Fix Bumps/pitting Caused by Lipo?

I have pitting on my saddlebag area due to lipo that I got 11 years ago. My plastic surgeon says that to fix it he would "untether" the skin from the muscle by running a thin rod under the skin, and then pouring in my own fat to smooth out the area. I've heard that untethered skin can hang loose and get saggy and I don't want that! Could I just get fat injections to fill in the pitting without untethering the skin?

The transfer of fat from one area to areas of depression work well for divits after liposuction.  Any bumps would require some additional liposuction to get them to smooth out.

Good luck!

Julie E. Voss, MD

Kirkland Dermatologic Surgeon