Not Enough Fat Removed After Liposuction?

As I understand your question, you are less than a week after surgery; and therefore still in the "Swelling" phase. I make sure patients understand that the first week after surgery is fraught with swelling and bruising. The second week starts the resolution phase at which point swelling and bruisng START to subside....swelling, depending on the volume of the total treatment area, can persist for 6 weeks and up to 6 months. DO NOT step on a scale during the first month as you will typ more

It is hard to be sure what your condition is presently. In that light I would encourage you to find a different Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and have a complete reanalysis. You may just need further liposuction. You may just need a scar revision or you may need liposuction and a full abdominal tummy tuck. Be sure you feel comfortable with the new surgeon and their recommendations.

At three days post liposuction the swelling that you see is fluid and post operative swelling. It will take 6 weeks to 3 months for you to be able to see the effects of your liposuction surgery

 The area that you are concerned about often needs excision to remove the redundant tissue that overhangs the old scar. Liposuction can help, but like in your case it did not give you the desired result.  However, the firmness will soften with time as the swelling subsides.    

Since you have just had liposuction, you should give it time (3-6 months) for all the swelling to improve. After that, you can reassess the situation and decide on a plan. If the scar is still stuck down, then a consultation with a good plastic surgeon can help you decide on the right course. Given your description, a surgical procedure to revise the scar would be helpful. It may even be combined with liposuction, but that really depends on your examination. Good luck.

Hi! I know this is not what you want to hear, but I don't think you had the right operation. In Manhattan, we commonly see this "shelf" or fullness or "muffin top" just above the C section scar, and it bothers women a lot. It is easily corrected with a mini abdominoplasty.

A low transverse incision such as a c-section scar can heal very well as my colleagues in OB have shown. Unfortunately some will develop a tethering of the skin to the deeper tissues forming a bulge or fold above and over the c-section scar. The tethering produces the impression of excess fat over the scar, like the muffin top you describe. It is unlikely that liposuction alone will correct the altered contour of the lower abdomen, or fill the depression along the scar line. You should wait... more

If it is about one year after your surgery. You waited enough that was good, but you need a visit by a plastic surgeon for evaluation of your complaints.

Dear Morena You have waited a full year since your liposuction. This is plenty of time to allow this area to heal. Clearly you have an issue. Without a personal examination, it is difficult to know precisely what the issue is. Gynecologic surgeons (not all fortunately) are apparently trained to lift and sweep up the abdominal fat prior to making the low transverse abdominal incision. This effectively traps a wad of fat above the incision once it has been sutured back together. ... more

I agree entirely with Dr. Shaefer. You most likely would benefit from a scar revision. Sometimes the problem is not the fat but a tight adherent scar similar to a tight belt that causes bulges. The scar has an absence of fat making the area immediately above it seem more prominent. By undergoing scar revision, a layered repair of the fat, SFS, and skin will likely yield a superior result. Of course there are other potential reasons that could explain your findings but given the limited... more

Liposuction on the abdomen is deceptive because of all all the different layers that make up the appearance. Liposuction only addresses one of the layers and even if the liposuction was done perfectly it can be hidden by the defects in the other layers. The other layers of the abdomen are the skin and the muscle wall. If the skin is a little loose or becomes looser after the liposuction then you will not see a lot of results from the liposuction. The same is true if the muscle wall is lax... more

You have two issues. The first is that you just had liposuction. It can take several weeks to months for the swelling to resolve. Second, if you have c-section scar, the tissues may be contracted in that area which causes the tissues above the incision to balloon over the scar. This can only be helped by revision the scar or, possibly a miniabdominoplasty. If you post pictures, we may be able to give you more specific advice.