Saddle bags returning 3 years after lipo. Surgeon said hormonal changes can cause fat cells to return - is this true? (photo)

When comparing the picture on the left to the picture on the right it looks like you have less subcutaneous fat in the outer thigh on the picture on the left. That picture also shows increased Skin laxity which can often cause the back part of the outer thigh as the transitions into the area called the banana and roll to bulge. even moderate weight fluctuations and a few years of age is enough to have an impact on skin with loss of skin elasticity and developing mild skin laxity. If you divide the outer thigh into a front half and a posterior half you’ll find that the front half probably still looks just like it did before but it is the back half that has changed. The posterior aspect of the outer thigh will bulge with even mild skin laxity in an upright standing position. As you flex your hips like when you’re bending forward the contour flattens out because the skin is put under tension. It’s not that you’re fat came out but rather that you were seeing the effects of time and weight fluctuations in this area is prone to contour changes from skin that is not as tight as it was a few years ago. liposuction is permanent and the fat cells do not return.
The changes you’re seeing are not related to subtitanious fat but are related to how the skin drapes your body.
If you take both hands and gently pull up on the skin a few inches above the area of concern and put the skin under mild tension you’ll probably see the contour you were hoping for. Try this using the timer on your camera or have someone else take the picture.
Saddlebags when they are on the lateral aspect or front part of the thigh respond very well but the posterior aspect or backside of the outer thigh often does not deliver the results patient had hoped for. In your case you were young and had really good skin when you had the procedure but often when this procedure is done on older patients they often feel like the back side didn’t get as much results as they had hoped for.
To make an assessment on the outcome of an operation we really need to always see before and after pictures. If you don’t have before and after pictures then ask your surgeon to forward the ones they take. Even if it’s an issue regarding change over time it’s important for us to see the impact that surgery had and what you look like before you had the procedure. It tells a big part of the story when trying to understand why people look the way they do.
Always include before and after pictures when posting regarding plastic surgery results.
I’ve been a board-certified plastic surgeon doing Liposuction for 22 years. 12 years ago I begin focusing on my career exclusively on only Liposuction and fat transfer procedures and today these are the only procedures I performance. I have performed over 8000 Liposuction procedures.
After specializing i started seeing things as patterns that seemed random earlier when I was doing all the other surgeries.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD