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It's a safe procedure as long as he HIV+ patient is healthy with preferably an undetectable viral load and normal T-cell count.
Patients with the HIV virus are living longer and more productive lives than ever before. In the past some of the side effects of the drugs left them with contour abnormalities, (a buffalo hump between the shoulder blades). The treatment was often liposuction, (liposculpture), of the area. The drugs have become much better, so we see less of that. As long as the patient is otherwise healthy, with the correct laboratory indicators, liposculpture is a viable option. See your local board certified plastic surgeon. Together you will come up with an appropriate plan.
There was a time when elective cosmetic surgery was not commonly performed on HIV positive patients. Since the advent of medications that indefinitely prolong life and reduce the viral load, elective cosmetic surgery is often done in this subset of patients.
I would agree with Dr. Stratis.There are many new medications which have dramatically improved the prognosis of HIV infected individuals. The decision to operate is less effected by the disease itself when compared to your overall medical condition as well as your counts.
Practicing in Washington, DC I am extremely familiar with the care of the HIV positive patient. The introduction of the retro viral and antiviral medications have enables those who have been infected with the AIDS virus to lead relatively healthy and normal lives. Unfortunately, the price that many of these patients pay for being treated by these extremely powerful medications is fat wasting and lipodystrophy. Lipostructure or liposculpting is extremely safe in the healthy HIV patient, however, the relative lack of fat as a source for fat transplantation poses a bit of a problem. Longer acting fillers such as Radiesse and Sculptra have become popular alternatives to fat. They are both safe and effective.