Liposuction: Q&A

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What Are the Chances of Lumpiness and Disfiguration After Liposuction?

Hi, I'm a 29-year-old female. I'm approximately 5'0" at 110 lbs. I work out 4-5 days a week with a healthy diet but with problem areas most short people have: flanks/lovehandles, inner thighs, and a little bit of a poochy belly.

I've never had a major operation before so I'm nervous about liposuction. I also see a lot of blogs here about people being unhappy because of scarring and lumpiness. Is that common and does size have anything to do with that?

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age 25-34 belly flanks inner thighs love handles lumps scar female 5 ft 0 in to 5 ft 3 in 110-129 lbs exercise pooch

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14 Doctor Answers | Asked by tizzer in Birmingham, AL

Doctor Answers (14)
Community Comments (0)

Lumps after lipo

Lumpiness and irregularities after liposuctioning is very common and can happen even if everything is done perfectly. They can be due to technique, post operative issues(like blood accumulation, and patient factors. The techniques that lead to the least amount of irregularities and lumpiness usually require the use of thinner liposuction tubes and a criss cross pattern of liposuctioning. If some lumpiness is noted during the healing process(very common) massage and ultrasound help break... more

Liposuction

Actually you sound like a perfect candidate for liposuction. You are young and thin. The areas you describe are typical storage sites for fat and are particularly difficult to lose despite diet and exercise. The best sites for liposuction are areas where there are deep compartments of fat and the superficial fatty layers can be left intact. The quilting effect of the superficial fat minimizes the chance of contour irregularities (lumps and bumps). Contour irregularities are related to... more

It is rare nowadays to get much lumpiness from liposuction with the new techniques

With the liposuctions being done under local anesthesia by the tumescent technique and with the small canulas used, it is rare to see disfigurements or lumpy bumpiness which was always common when lipo was done under general anesthesia with the bigger canulas. You are at a good age to do it and should be fine. Check with a few docs for consultations but do expect to do 2 procedures to cover all the areas you want at a rough cost of $5000 per surgery.

David Hansen, MD

19 reviews

Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon

www.DrDavidHansen.com

Lumpy liposuction

The tumescent technique has reduced the risk of lumpiness. The incisional scars are quite small and should not be of concern. Liposuction is an excellent technique for reducing localized fat deposits in the areas with which you are concerned and expiaclly in a young, thing woman with good exercise habits.

Ideal Candidate for Liposuction

Congratulations, by your description you are at a healthy weight, you exercise and eat a healthy diet. You should be an excellent candidate for liposuction to improve the contour of the areas that bother you. Your surgeon will need to evaluate you to determine the quality of your skin tone. If you have good skin tone in the areas of fatty accumulation you could expect a good result. Scarring is usually not an issue with liposuction because the incisions are so small, but contour irregularity... more

Satisfaction with liposuction

National specialty society surveys have shown that most patients are very pleased with their liposuction results. Lumpiness is very rare and can be a temporary post operative result from inflammation or incompletely removed fat which can undergo further liposuction as a very small procedure. Tender temporary inflammatory lumps can be treated with warm compresses, external ultrasonic massage, Endermologie, Vela Shape, and corticosteroid injections provided that localized infection is ruled... more

Liposuction is a safe and reliable procedure

Based on you information, you are the ideal candidate for liposuction. The ideal candidate is at or near their ideal weight, and have areas of fat deposit which are resistant to diet and exercise. If liposuction is done by a surgeon who is experienced and has a good artistic eye, the risk of lumpiness and scarring is virtually non-existent, assuming you have a normal post-operative healing. If you have cellulite, however, liposuction will not improve the cellulite. The lumpiness of the... more

Good technique prevents lumpiness after liposuction.

Hi. Liposuction is very, very safe if you find a skilled experienced surgeon. Scarring and lumps are extremely rare and can be prevented with small cannulas and gentle technique.

Liposuction and risks of irregularities, lumps and bumps

This is most likely driven by the fact that patients request agressive treatment of localized fatty deposits. The more that is removed, the greater is the potential risk of developing this problem. As some (silly sayings go): "You can never be too rich" "You can never be too thin" Well my corrollary and I say this tongue in cheek is: "You've never had too much liposuction until you've had too much": I say that because many patients state" remove... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

32 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction and complications

Liposuction is a great way to improve areas that have been resistant to dieting. There are many different ways to perform it. I always say it is not the want but the magician who waves it that creates the magic. Go to someone experienced.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

The complications of liposuction you describe are very low if done by an experienced liposuction sur

Over the past 30 years that I have been performing liposuction I have had very few contour irregularities you describe. If the surgeon does take too much fat superficially then these should not happen. Therefore, select an experienced surgeon and it is very rare for you to have any of these problems.

Toby Mayer, MD

7 reviews

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Risks of lumpiness after lipo

In general, the risk of lumpiness and uneven contours is low when the surgeon is experienced. There is no magic technology that substitutes for poor technique. But one of the most important reasons that experienced lipo surgeons get good results is clinical judgment about what the patient can realistically expect and good communication about that. From your description, you are a good candidate and the chances of an excellent result are high. Most of the poor results that you hear about are... more

The chances of lumpiness after liposuction should be low

For a young individual at an ideal body weight, and good skin elasticity (no significant weight gain and loss) the risk of dents and irregularities should be low. Liposuction is a perfect choice to reduce or correct the limitations of inherited body shapes such as love handles, fullness over the side of the hip or saddle bags, and full inner thigh. Ideal candidates will indeed experience the best that liposuction has to offer, especially if the surgeon is skillful and well qualified. Dents... more

Lumps and bumps after liposuction

Partly, the lumps and bumps after liposuction are the patient's fault and partly the doctor's fault. The patient brings to the table their own unique body and some just aren't great liposuction candidates having poor skin elasticity and tissue tone. The doctor is at fault if they don't tell you HONESTLY if you are a great, good, mediocre, or poor candidate for liposuction. The doctor is also at fault if they get too aggressive and too close to the skin because they will create permanent... more