I am now breast cancer free but had to have axillary node clearance in my left arm. Which is now at risk for lymphedeama etc. I want to have tumescent liposuction (awake) in my upper/lower abdomen, whole back and flanks/love handles. No lipo to my arms. Is this possible? Is there any risks having 360 lipo after lymph node removal? Will this affect my arm in anyway? Looking to lose some weight first before the surgery.
June 11, 2023
Answer: Getting Liposuction Having Liposuction of your torso by itself, should not be an issue for somebody who has had a history of breast cancer, including those who have had axillary no dissections. You may or may not be a good candidate for Liposuction. You did not include any pictures, so we can’t make any type of assessment. You also did not include what type of breast cancer surgery you had, including if you’ve had reconstruction or not. One thing to consider before having any abdominal cosmetic surgical procedure is to make sure there are no reconstructive options that may be desirable or needed in the future in regards to breast cancer treatments. Women who’ve had mastectomies sometimes need autologous, tissue reconstruction, and the lower abdomen is often the best tissue for breast reconstructive purposes. You should make absolutely certain that it is unlikely you’ll need the tissue for breast reconstructive purposes in the future. For example, a woman who’s had implant reconstruction, may develop capsular contractions in the future, making implant reconstruction a long-term failure. When this happens, converting the Rc Construction to autologous tissue reconstruction is sometimes necessary in order to have a good outcome. Liposuction skills very substantially among different plastic surgeons. Do not assume that because somebody is board-certified, has years of experience or an overall good reputation that they have mastered Liposuction. Doing the procedure well on a consistent basis is more difficult than most people realize. Likewise, a significant number of people seeking Liposuction are in fact, not particularly good candidates for the procedure and this needs to be made clear so you can have realistic expectations. In the end, patient’s candidacy and provider selection of the two most important variables. To begin the process, I recommend patients have multiple in person, consultations with local, board-certified plastic surgeons, who seem to have a good reputation for Liposuction. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients, who had similar body characteristics to your own. An experienced provider should have no difficulty showing you with the before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients. Poorly done Liposuction can leave disfigurement that is difficult or impossible to improve upon. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of provider selection when it comes to Liposuction or any other permanent body contouring procedure. Being board-certified, and plastic surgery does not mean that somebody has mastered any one single procedure. Best, Mats Hagstrom, MD
Helpful
June 11, 2023
Answer: Getting Liposuction Having Liposuction of your torso by itself, should not be an issue for somebody who has had a history of breast cancer, including those who have had axillary no dissections. You may or may not be a good candidate for Liposuction. You did not include any pictures, so we can’t make any type of assessment. You also did not include what type of breast cancer surgery you had, including if you’ve had reconstruction or not. One thing to consider before having any abdominal cosmetic surgical procedure is to make sure there are no reconstructive options that may be desirable or needed in the future in regards to breast cancer treatments. Women who’ve had mastectomies sometimes need autologous, tissue reconstruction, and the lower abdomen is often the best tissue for breast reconstructive purposes. You should make absolutely certain that it is unlikely you’ll need the tissue for breast reconstructive purposes in the future. For example, a woman who’s had implant reconstruction, may develop capsular contractions in the future, making implant reconstruction a long-term failure. When this happens, converting the Rc Construction to autologous tissue reconstruction is sometimes necessary in order to have a good outcome. Liposuction skills very substantially among different plastic surgeons. Do not assume that because somebody is board-certified, has years of experience or an overall good reputation that they have mastered Liposuction. Doing the procedure well on a consistent basis is more difficult than most people realize. Likewise, a significant number of people seeking Liposuction are in fact, not particularly good candidates for the procedure and this needs to be made clear so you can have realistic expectations. In the end, patient’s candidacy and provider selection of the two most important variables. To begin the process, I recommend patients have multiple in person, consultations with local, board-certified plastic surgeons, who seem to have a good reputation for Liposuction. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients, who had similar body characteristics to your own. An experienced provider should have no difficulty showing you with the before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients. Poorly done Liposuction can leave disfigurement that is difficult or impossible to improve upon. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of provider selection when it comes to Liposuction or any other permanent body contouring procedure. Being board-certified, and plastic surgery does not mean that somebody has mastered any one single procedure. Best, Mats Hagstrom, MD
Helpful