Does Superficial Liposuction and Sub-dermal Tunneling Help Tighten the Skin?

asked 1 year ago by creampie in East Orange NJ
Latest answer by Julio Garcia, MD
Question viewed 503 times
Tags: skin, technique, tightening

One doctor says this procedure CAN help tighten the skin. Does CAN mean mayby, maybe not or most likely will?

11 answers to Does Superficial Liposuction and Sub-dermal Tunneling Help Tighten the Skin?

Liposuction tightening skin

The simple answer is that liposuction, regardless of how the fat cells are removed, does not "tighten" skin. The goal is to remove the excess fat cells without decreasing the tone or making the skin sag which is quite realistic. The modalities you describe can give the illusion of tightened skin because of scar formation but this is not liposuction and if the scar tissue reaction isn't perfect, the problem, just like external scars, is not repairable. It's... more

Scott L. Replogle, MD
Denver Plastic Surgeon

Subdermal skin tightening

I think subdermal superficial liposuction cannot reliably and reproducibly cause skin to tighten. I think the biggest downside is not the disappointing degree of skin tightening, but if you go into that superficial layer, you can induce scarring and then leave undulations or depressions in the skin.I would not recommend it.

Julio Garcia, MD
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

lvcosmeticsurgery.com

Superficial liposuction can be disastrous

It is important when performing liposuction that a buffer of subcutaneous fat is left in place to avoid leaving skin indentations which can be very difficult to treat. There is no proof that any type of liposuction causes skin shrinkage and efforts to accomplish this may result in loss of blood supply to the skin and disastrous results.

James McMahan, MD
Columbus Plastic Surgeon

Superficial SAL to tighten skin?

It will absolutely shrink skin, however the shrinkage is more often than not in the form of irregularities and grooves with dimpling and all sorts of weird results. a good candidate for SAL does not need anything special to shrink skin, it happens naturally and beautifully. good luck.

Rafael C. Cabrera, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

Superficial Liposuction result and skin tightening may be limited

Points to remember with regards to superficial or laser liposuction; I would proceed with caution. I have seen some very bad results that were referred for correction. The correction is difficult and may not be very successful. The contour irregularity and scarring can happen if the technique is not performed carefully. The short answer is that It may OR may not work. It works only if the surgeon has great degree of experience and is very meticulous. The notion of... more

Ali Sajjadian, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

www.DrSajjadian.com

Liposuction does not tighten skin but can help it retract

Depeding on the location of the fatty tissue that is removed, and the thickness of the skin, there are many patients who obtain significant retraction of the skin after liposuction. There is a healing process that occurs from the cannula that removes the fat, and your body produces collagen as a response to this healing. The collagen acts as a tissue glue and forms what we term, a fibrotic response. The skin then retracts backwards against its infrastrucutre over months after the surgery... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

It all depends

Superficial liposuction when performed with the right tools by the right surgeon is a very safe and effective technique, I personally like the Smartlipo MPX machine, during my professional career I had been able to try all the different types of liposuction and there is no question in my mind that I obtain the best results with the laser liposuction. I am able to perform superficial liposuction in the right patient, with better results. There are more and more papers published... more

Victor Manuel Perez, MD
Kansas City Plastic Surgeon

Superficial lipo is a set up for disaster

Subdermal lipo with or without laser or ultrasound or traditional technique is a formula for disaster. I just saw two patients last week who came in after this with destroyed abdomens. You can't fix the mess this causes. Since it doesn't give more skin shrinkage and only adds risk, I'd stay away from someone who is promoting it.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Superficial liposuction and skin tightening

Liposuction is primarily aimed at removing fat deposits in areas where they are recalcitrant to diet and exercise. Skin elasticity allows it to shrink down around the smaller volume where fat was removed. When performed superficially, liposuction can lead to contour irregularities and formation of skin ridges, These may also be observed with subdermal tunneling. These procedures are best performed with great caution to avoid complications.

Olivia Hutchinson, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Skin Tightening Liposuction

Superficial Liposuction was advocated in the Mid and late 1990's By Dr. Marco Gasparotti to shrink skin. The thinking was that by irritating the deepest later of the skin the ensuing scarring process would shrink the overlying skin. Subsequent experience by many led to surface irregularities which caused the majority of surgeons to abandon this technique. Unfortunately, Liposuction is NOT a skin shrinking technique and to date NO scientific proof exists from an unbiased source that... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Superficial liposuction is risky and skin tightening variable

The Holy Grail for liposuction is tightening loose skin along with fat removal. If the skin is lax, removing the fat may make it even looser because the area sort of "deflates." A number of techniques can help to tighten a little bit; lasers may help in some cases, thought he most they have been reported to do is 17% greater skin shrinkage, and Thermage applied immediately after may increase tightening up to 40%, but whether these are meaninful in terms of results is debatable.... more