Is look permanently pregnant 2 years after getting liposuction to the abdomen. What can I do?

Question

I had liposuction of abdomen performed about 2 years ago, slowly over last 2 years, one after another shirt or pants didn't fit because my abdomen was distended. Slowly it kept getting more bloated and harder.. I'm at 2 years and I look pregnant. My question is, where to start? I went back to plastic surgeon who only acted offended and told me dumb answers like "maybe your body is in starvation mode" when I DO eat, I just eat healthy! all the while having a lady with a recorder, recording conversation in room. I look pregnant, I had a total hysterectomy over 8 years ago.. next step? Nutritionist or gastrointerologist? Something is seriously wrong!

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

You first want to see if the bloating is from a medical issue.  You can visit a GI doctor for an evaluation.  If it is determined that the cause is cosmetic it may be from abdominal wall laxity, which can occur with weight gain/loss, pregnancy, or age.  It could also be from visceral fat which is the fat behind the muscle wall that surrounds your organs.  Determining the cause will determine the correct solution for you.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

You did not post photos which would have been helpful. an examination is needed to see if you have residual fat or if it is an internal issue. If you are close to normal weight, you may have bloating from your colon related to food allergies. surgery will not fix this. I suggest being checked for food allergies.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

There are four tissue variables that determine what the abdomen looks like.
In other words, if somebody doesn’t like the way their belly looks the problem is always one or more of four different reasons.
The four variables that determine what the abdomen looks like are the following.
1) Abdominal laxity due to previous pregnancies or weight loss.2) Excess subcutaneous fat.
3) Muscle separation from previous pregnancies.
4) Excess visceral or intra-abdominal fat.
Differentiating, each of these variables is fairly straightforward, and any plastic surgeon should be able to do this.
To assess the impact of potential laxity and see if this improves your contour. To measure subcutaneous fat pull your skin until it’s tight then gently press your skin until you feel the muscle layer underneath.
This typically takes very little pressure.
Tried doing it over your chest to get an idea of how thick your fat is then do it on your abdomento understand how to feel for the thickness.
When we pinch skin we’re measuring the thickness of two layers of skin and layers so fat so pinching the skin is not very accurate and determining how thick the subcutaneous fat layer is.
 to understand how to feel for the fat thickness.
When we pinch skin were measuring the thickness of two layers of skin and two layers of fat so pinching the skin is not very accurate in determining how thick the subcutaneous fat layer is
If you’ve had liposuction and you didn’t see great improvements then most likely subcutaneous fat is not the problem. 
A bulging abdominal wall can be caused by two reasons.
One is muscle separation from previous pregnancies, and the other is excess visceral fat pushing against the abdominal wall.
Differentiating between muscle separation and or visceral fat is not all that difficult.
I suggest consulting with a few other plastic surgeons in your community to get a better assessment.
 The ability to properly assess an abdomen vary from provider to provider.
Plans need to be based on having a clear understanding of what the primary underlying ideology is.
Tummy tuck treats, abdominal skin, laxity, and muscle separation.
Liposuction only treats subcutaneous fat.
 Visceral fat can only be reduced through weight loss.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD

Is look permanently pregnant 2 years after getting liposuction to the abdomen. What can I do?

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Is look permanently pregnant 2 years after getting liposuction to the abdomen. What can I do?

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Everything you need to know about Liposuction Revision

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.