Post Lipo Hardness and Stiffness, What Should I Do?

The tight bands that you are experiencing under your skin after liposculpture is what Dr. Andy Kaczynski of Sacramento, California, refers to as organized swelling.  This is not scar tissue and I believe, if treated early, can be gotten rid of 100% of the time.  What you need to do is increase the blood supply to these injured areas to allow your body's natural healing processes to work their magic. 

 

In my practice, (1) I use DMSO, a liquid which helps open redundant blood vessels in your tissue as well as decreasing the inflammation causing some of the swelling.  DMSO for the body is best diluted with some products to make it okay for human tissue, as the pure stuff is used only in veterinary medicine.  Rumor has it that everyone in the Tour de France bathes in DMSO to decrease the inflammation from bicycling.  (2) Post operative ultrasound (the kind the physical therapist uses to get rid of sore muscles, not the kind that the gynecologist uses to find the baby in your uterus) converts sound waves into heat which increases the blood supply to an area and also seems to level out what semi variable fat cells remain in your tissue. 

 

Since you have had multiple seromas, your plastic surgeon should be consulted prior to implementation of any of the above. 

hello  . Numbness around suction area will improve a few weeks after the procedure; lumpiness will also decrease with time although massaging can quicken the softening. #post-op #options

I have my patients start daily massaging of the treated areas at around 1 week and then more aggressive massaging in the form of endermologie at 2 weeks. This helps break up the scar tissue and decrease the swelling.  

The tight bands are probably localized areas of edema and possibly early internal scarring but should diminish with time. Here are some suggestions besides simple stretching that has been recommended to you: Therapeutic or "lymphatic massage" may be helpful following Liposuction (Smart Lipo, Vaser, Tickle lipo, or conventional lipo) to minimize swelling but not all plastic surgeons recommend it nor is it Mandatory. Make sure your surgeon feels that you have healed sufficiently  and it is safe before doing this.  Endermologie is also very helpful after liposculpture/liposuction but again, not critical.  Although deep tissue massage following liposuction can aid in smoothing out  contour irregularities that invariably accompany this procedure it has limited effect on the final outcome and  is NOT mandatory. Some plastic surgeons recommend it to all  patients as they feel the edema resolves faster.  Ask your surgeon to show you or a significant other how to do this if cost is an issue. Typically they will have you massage toward areas of maximum lymphatic drainage ( for example groin or armpits) A low sodium diet and no heavy exercise especially lifting for the first 4-6 weeks may also be helpful.

Unfortunately, seromas, scar tissue and hematomas etc... are not that uncommon with the type of procedure you had done since it is more common with laser and ultrasound lipos.  Stick with your doc to help you through this rough time.  It will get better with time. Most will still turn out just fine.  Sincerely,

David Hansen,MD