What Are Liposuction Marks For?

Every surgeon will do the markings differently - it is a personal way for the surgeon to remind him/herself the areas to addressed. I mark my planned access incisions and then diagram the regions to be contoured the same way topographical maps are made. When a patient is lying down, regions of fullness change, and these markings help orient me to the "correct" areas of fullness to be addressed. The preoperative photos (hanging on the wall for reference), the markings on the... more

The marks made on you for liposuction help guide the surgeon during removal of the fat. When you lay flat for the procedure the fat deposits are harder to see than when you are upright. Most of us mark the fat deposits in a pattern similar to a topographical map -- the highest spots are in the center with the slope extending out from the peak. Lastly, these markings also give both the patient and the surgeon an opportunity to confirm what areas are to be treated.