Is there a way to fix the horrible cellulite and skin irregularities on my thighs caused by liposuction? (Photos)

Question

I had liposuction on my thighs two years ago and have horrible cellulite and skin irregularities as a result. I have already tried cool sculpting, intense massage, Venus legacy, mesotherapy, truSculpt 3D, and Emsculpt. No non-surgical method has worked. Is it worth undergoing revision liposuction / fat grafting? Will that work? Or is there another method? I am currently living in Atlanta, GA but am willing to travel anywhere to get my legs back to the point where I can go out in public.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Hello.
Great question. I am sorry for your post op difficulties. Thank you for your pictures. Based on your images, it appears as you may benefit from a liposuction revision and skin tightening. Please visit a board certified plastic surgeon for a detailed surgical plan to achieve your desired results.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

this likely will need internal heating, fat grafting and posterior thigh lift or spiral lift to get improvement. otherwise non invasive technologist. I suggest you see an expert.  
You need a formal evaluation by an expert in body shaping and contouring to determine what is best.  Traditional liposuction awake and smart liposuction are old methods and do very poorly for tightening skin or significant skin tightening or contouring.  Small problem areas can be improved slightly by these methods.  The best in body contouring not only removes fat with energy devices like VASER ultrasound but also internally heat the skin with radio-frequency devices such as J PLASMA/RENUVION, InMode BodyTite, ThermiRF to heat the under surface of the skin and tighten it at the same time as fat removal. These combinations are called 4D HIDEF VASER contouring and can only be done by a well . trained body contouring specialist. At the same time fat should be harvested, PRP and stem cells added and injected into muscles or indentations/cellulite to get body shaping and contouring.  This is known as a Brazilian butt lift when you inject the fat to the buttock for contouring and lifting, but fat can also be used in areas such as the chest/breast, arms/shoulders, calves and face.  Cellulite should also be treated with cellfina, sculptra, subcision and/or fillers such as bellafill, renuva synthetic fat, or sculptra.  If skin is very loose before surgery then it will need to be removed such as lower abdominal skin (tummy tuck/abdominoplasty), breast skin (breast lift), arm skin (brachioplasty).  Overall you need a full assessment, but simple liposuction alone will not tighten skin and needs a combination of various methods -- fat removal, skin tightening, defining, fat grafting, skin removal -- to get the best in body contouring and body sculpting.  Dr. Emer.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear vnno,
you might consider Cellfina to reduce the cellulite. Patients are usually satisfied after the treatment (over 90 %). I would suggest you to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon with experience with Cellfina.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Himansu Shah, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question and photos. It is difficult to answer your question without examining you however from reviewing your photos I can see the irregularities and cellulite. Unfortunately there are no good treatment for cellulite. It is best to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. Good luck.

Arian Mowlavi, MD, FACS (license on probation) · Answer

Renuvion skin tightening would be the best solution as there doesn't appear to be excess skin or extensive skin laxity in the area. A Skype or FaceTime consultation with a renuvion specialist will help you get an accurate recommendation and pricing.
Respectfully, 
Arian Mowlavi MD, FACS
Realself 100 Hall of Fame Inductee

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Undesirable outcomes from liposuction or not cellulite. Liposuction outcomes are related to fat distribution. So that is caused by connective tissue bands that pull in on the skin creating Irregularities.Start with you need high-quality pictures. You also need to show before pictures. I suggest using the pictures your plastic surgeon took before and after since they were most likely taken with the same camera from the same distance. Without knowing what your baseline was it’s difficult to know what someone is trying to establish. It’s not uncommon for women to have contour irregularities other thighs.They liposuction is technically difficult and often yields fairly low overall patient satisfaction.To correct poor outcomes from liposuction and uneven fat distribution needs to be made more evil. This can generally be done with revision liposuction, fat transfer or in certain cases converting the procedure to a skin removal procedure like a mini tummy tuck or full tummy tuck for a botched lower abdomen.Much depends on how aggressive the first treatment was done. If too much fat was removed and it’s very difficult to correct the outcome.It’s far more difficult to create a smooth contour from an uneven one then it is to maintain a smooth even contour. For revision work we generally go through in detail and mark off areas they were under treated or over treated understanding why contour irregularities understand and then treating each small individual area accordingly. Some improvement can almost always be had. There are numerous variables to take into consideration.You are correct that non-surgical approaches will not work. None of them directly addressed the primary problem which is an uneven fat distribution. I wish someone would’ve told you that before you spent time and money and all those procedures.this type of work is detail oriented and the surgeons need very accurate information. This generally always means in person consultations and at a minimum having quality before and after pictures.Best, Mats Hagstrom MD

Is there a way to fix the horrible cellulite and skin irregularities on my thighs caused by liposuction? (Photos)

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