Is liposuction possible on a fat pad above the buttock area? (photos)

Question

My question concerns a fat deposit that appeared above my buttocks about 2 years ago. Dieting and exercise doesn't seem to be working as quickly as I need them to. I was wondering if I could reduce this area and continue to diet and exercise to get great results? This shelf has came to be embarrassing.

Emile Brown, MD · Answer

Yes, based on your pictures, it looks like this area could be easily treated with liposuction. For small areas of liposuction like this, I give patients an option to have the procedure done awake. Patient are generally quite comfortably with just local numbing medicine. This also speeds recovery and eliminates the additional cost of anesthesia.Emile Brown, MDBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon, Johns Hopkins & Harvard Trained

Finny George, MD · Answer

Hi, thank you for your question. 
The short answer is yes, liposuction can likely be used to treat this area. The best way to determine if it can definitely be used would be through an in-person consultation with your plastic surgeon. 
In order to have the best results with liposuction, you would need to be healthy enough for elective surgery, maintaining a stable weight for 3 months, refrain from smoking for at least 4 weeks and maintain a BMI of 30. 
I hope this helps. Best of luck!

Jeff Angobaldo, MD · Answer

You could get liposuction to the entire flank / lower back area and it would likely even and smooth it out. It would be expensive to just liposuction that one section and the results would likely be very uneven if the surgeon tried to remove the fat deposit alone.  Always be sure to get a consult with a board certified plastic surgeon in your area for the best results.

John LoMonaco, MD, FACS · Answer

It may be fat that could be removed with liposuction, or if you lost a lot of weight it could be excess skin.  Get a few opinions from board-certified plastic surgeons on the best way to proceed.

Jonathan Amspacher, MD · Answer

The area above the buttock and in the low back are generally very good targets for liposuction. You should get a good response in this area as long as you are faithful in wearing your postop garments and pick a surgeon with a good reputation for high quality results. Best of luck on your journey.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear kialonnic,it is hard to tell for sure without an examination but based on your photos, you look like a good candidate for a liposuction. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.Daniel Barrett, MD

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Robert M. Tornambe, MD · Answer

kialonnicI appreciate your frustration. The best candidates for liposuction are those with areas of fat that are well defined and non-responsive to diet and exercise. Your area of concern above your buttocks should be quite responsive to liposuction. Consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon in your region. Good luck.

Luis M. Rios Jr., MD · Answer

Thanks for the photos and question.Many people have some sort of fat pad above the buttock region. It's interesting that most people with this problem share your same concerns.Here a few thoughts for you.1) Diet and exercise are always an option. Even if you are not getting the results you want, maintaining your healthy regimen will insure that your results will last after surgery.2) Liposuction is a great option for troublesome areas that are not responding to diet and exercise. This area is frequently targeted during liposuction of the lower back and waist.3) Cool sculpting and other nonsurgical modalities may help. However, remember that the cost is usually similar to liposuction and the results take several months of treatments, whereas the liposuction results can be seen almost immediately after surgery.The main thing is to continue your healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise. You might achieve your results that way. If not, maintaining that lifestyle will insure that your results will last should you choose liposuction.Good Luck!

David Finkle, MD · Answer

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Liposuction is the suction removal of subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is located just below the surface of the skin and above the muscles and bones. It doesn't remove all of the fat, but it does remove the majority of the fat. The perfect candidate is at or near their ideal body weight and has localized areas of fat that are out of proportion to the rest of the body.  It is not a weight reduction technique. It can be used on any area of the body, but it relies on the skin redraping after the fat is removed. So, if you have loose skin, you may end up with wrinkles or folds after the surgery. Some areas respond better to liposuction than others, the lateral thighs always look nice, the inner thighs and arms, not so much. The tummy depends on how loose the skin was to begin with. It does not remove or improve stretch marks. There are many different terms used for liposuction:
Tumescent liposuctionPower liposuctionLaser liposuctionVaser liposuctionSmart liposuctionUltrasonic liposuctionAnd many, many more. All these techniques vary a little, but the bottom line is that the fat is removed by high powered suction. A small tube or cannula with multiple holes at the end is hooked to a suction device. The cannula is moved rapidly back and forth to remove the fat through very small incisions in the skin. All blood vessels, nerves, muscle, bone and skin is left alone, just the fat is removed. Large amounts of fluid are placed in the subcutaneous fat before the suction begins to reduce bleeding and to numb the skin, this fluid is referred to as tumescent fluid and consists of a balanced salt solution mixed with adrenalin and a local anesthetic. There are 3 choices of anesthesia:
Local anesthesia (the patient is awake)Local with sedation (the patient is given a mild sedation)General anesthetic (the patient is asleep)The choice is based upon an agreement between the patient and the surgeon. Make sure you consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who operates in a nationally accredited surgery center and offers board certified anesthesia. If the price you are quoted seems abnormally low, please do your research and find out why, you do not want to be surprised the day of your surgery! Liposuction can be combined with many other procedures; tummy tuck, breast reduction, thigh lift, arm lift, neck lift and is an essential part of a Brazilian Butt lift (this is where the fat comes from!)
All of my patients are treated post operatively with a compression garment that is worn for 2 weeks and 5 Endermologie sessions that start 3-4 weeks after the procedure. Endermologie is a non surgical massage technique that helps to smooth out the results of the surgery to help prevent wrinkling and rippling of the skin. Liposuction is not a very painful procedure and recovery is usually quick. 
Most people are back to work in 3-5 days and back to vigorous exercise in 2 weeks. Of course, if more areas are treated, there will be more pain post operatively and a longer recovery. I was back to work 3 days after my abdominal liposuction and no one knew any better! 
The cost varies not only from city to city, but from patient to patient. The more areas that are treated, the higher the cost. In the midwest, typical liposuction prices varies from $3,000-6,000 total.
Good Luck!

Tania Medina de Garcia, MD · Answer

Hello dear!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well.
Based on your pictures, you could benefit from liposuction to fix your problem and improve your buttocks. Also exercise and diet are always a good idea.
In general, you need to be physically healthy and at a stable weight, have realistic expectations, be a non-smoker and your BMI needs to be 30 or less.
l recommend you to make an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon to talk about your goals and anything you need to know.
Good luck :)

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