Amber Rose has always been refreshingly open about her plastic surgery. And that’s still the case, despite receiving both praise and criticism from fans the last time she announced that she was going under the knife (for what appeared to be a mommy makeover surgery six weeks after the birth of her second son).
This week, the 38-year-old model and actress shared that she was getting liposuction, to address scar tissue resulting from the birth of her children, Sebastian Taylor, 8, and Slash Electric, who is now 2. “I have a lot of scar tissue from my C-section,” she said in a video she posted to her Instagram account. “I had two C-sections with my boys, and it kind of makes my stomach poke out a little bit.”
Not only is weight gain—which can contribute to the stomach looking like it’s poking out well after delivery—incredibly common during pregnancy, but the C-section can also exacerbate its appearance. “C-sections often create a great amount of scarring in the lower abdomen,” says Dr. Stanley Okoro, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Marietta, Georgia. “The loose, post-baby skin can fall over it, creating that ‘pouch.’”
Related: What is Strawberry Laser Lipo—and How Is it Different from Actual Liposuction?
While liposuction is most often used (and best known for) fat removal, a surgeon can break up and soften the scar tissue as they’re removing the fat. Once the area heals, Dr. Okoro says, “with less fat and softer scar tissue, the patient’s area of concern has a better contour.” It’s often paired with a tummy tuck or another skin tightening procedure, to address that loose skin.
That seems to be the thinking in this case. In the video, Rose eventually pans to her surgeon, Dr. David Matlock, a board-certified OB-GYN in Los Angeles. Regarding that scar tissue, Rose says that “he’s going to break that up and give me some lipo, which I’m super-excited about. My stomach is going to be super-flat and pretty.”
It’s the same optimism she brought ahead of her previous surgery. (It’ll “suck all the baby fat out of my stomach,” she explained at the time. “I’m super-excited.”) Although we don’t know the final results of that first surgery—or exactly what it entailed—repeat liposuction happens all the time, according to Dr. Okoro. “If you gain weight after your initial liposuction procedure, you will gain weight in the area that was lipoed,” he explains. “One of the first conversations I have with my patients is always, ‘What lifestyle changes are you going to make in order to keep up your results?’ Unfortunately, life happens. Age, pregnancy, hormonal changes, and so much more happen, and these can result in weight gain.”
However, the downside of using lipo to address scar tissue in addition to fat is that doing so can lead to more post-op pain as well as longer-lasting and more visible swelling—so a patient seeking liposuction for that reason may need general anesthesia instead of local and might have to wear compression garments for a longer period of time. As always though, every patient is different, which is why you should always consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon to find the best procedure for you.
