What can I do about hip fat after tummy tuck? (Photos)

Thank you for your question regarding hip fat after a tummy tuck. By looking at your photos, it looks like you could get away with liposuction of the hips and flanks. However, if you prefer the look of your hips being raised, you can do a hip lift where your surgeon would excise a chunk of skin and fat over your hips. This incision could also be lifted over your hip to give you an hourglass figure and snatched waist. I hope this helps to answer your question regarding hip fat after a tummy tuck.

Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. (“Verified” Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, and International College of Surgery, and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)

Your photos suggest you would benefit from a revision to remove extra skin from above your scar and contour the fat/soft tissues to achieve a smooth transition. This will likely result in lengthening your scar by 2-4 inches.

Based on these photos, very like that liposuction with a small cannula would be a solution for your problem. You should discuss this issue with your surgeon. Good luck.

Dear Santana8801,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you 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

From your photos and description of your concerns improvement is possible with some liposuction. This will reduce the fullness that you indicated and further sculpt your curves. See a board certified plastic surgeon near you to learn more.

Liposuction will remove excess fat and could be done to help improve your contour. Please discuss this with your surgeon.

Dear Santana,
You've got a great result with your tummy tuck. If there is a small area of residual fat you might benefit from some microliposuction there. The height and orientation of your scar is another discussion to be had with your plastic surgeon. Good luck!

Very simple....you should consider having liposuction of your hips (and possibly the sides or flanks). This will give you a smoother curve and if adding the sides, cinch your waist even more (you look very good now0.
Best wishes.
Dr. Taranow

As long as the contour is not created by skin laxity and Liposuction is the best procedure to improve the contour in that area. if it’s related to skin laxity that an extended tummy tuck or a tummy tuck revision would be better.
Sometimes it can be a combination of skin excision and liposuction.
Delivering consistent quality liposuction results is more difficult than most people believe.
The number of plastic surgeons could do quality liposuction on a consistent basis including making accurate assessment and delivering predictable outcomes is relatively small.
The following are some general recommendations for those interested in Liposuction.
Different providers may have different opinions but this has been my experience.
How to find a provider liposuction
Here’s the process I recommend patient take.
Start by getting pictures of your body the same way plastic surgeons take before and after pictures.
Have someone else take the pictures or use the timer on your camera. pictures should be taken from about six or 8 feet away. Don’t take pictures using a mirror.
Pictures should be taken with the camera at the same height of what’s being photographed. For the abdomen the camera should be at the height of the abdomen. for the thighs the camera should be at the height of the thighs.
Quality pictures require showing your body. Wear loose revealing undergarments that don’t press into your skin. Take pictures of your front, side and back side standing in a neutral position with your arms down by your side.
Print copies of these pictures.
Whenever reviewing before and after pictures whether you’re doing it at home or during a consultation always have your own pictures by your side for a comparison.
Understanding candidacy is key and understanding with the procedure can or cannot accomplish.
When reviewing results look for patients who have similar body characteristics to your own in the before pictures.
If they have different characteristics then what you look like and those results don’t apply to you.
Make a list of all the local board-certified plastic surgeons in your community.
Go to each providers website and document the quantity and quality of Liposuction before and after pictures posted on their website. take a peek at other procedures like tummy tucks etc. for reference. if someone has 25 sets of before and after pictures of the tummy tucks but only has two pictures of Liposuction results and that is probably not The right provider.
This will give you a general idea if providers like doing Liposuction, do a lot of liposuction and get enough quality results to post them on their websites. next choose five of those providers and schedule in person consultations.
There’s no correct number of consultation someone needs to find the best provider but the more consultations you have the better you’ll get at doing consultations including the ability to properly vet plastic surgeons and the higher your chance of finding the best provider.
Considering that a substantial number of plastic surgeons simply aren’t good at Liposuction and the number of providers who are excellent at this procedure is rare you definitely need to have multiple consultations.
Personally I do not believe it’s possible to find the right provider using a computer or by having a virtual consultations.
Virtual consultations are better than no consultation but in my opinion in person consultations are needed to get a quality assessment and to properly vet the provider.
Take careful notes during each consultation. become familiar with what quality liposuction results look like on people who have bodies similar to your own. Create a rating system for Liposuction results.
Recognize that most pictures available on the Internet either represent some of the best results because that’s what the providers usually put out on their website or disastrous results from patients who are seeking help. most average liposuction results don’t end up as pictures on the Internet.
During each consultation ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures.
Bring printed copies of your own pictures of yourself.
Ask providers to show you examples of excellent outcomes, average outcomes and outcomes that didn’t turn out as well as they had hoped.
Ask providers to only show you pictures of previous patients who had similar body characteristics to your own.
Again, there’s no point at seeing quality results and somebody who had a different candidacy for the procedure than you do.
Providers may be apprehensive to do this and will generally prefer to show you preselected images representing the best results of their career.
Why this baby more impressive to look at it does not represent average results and it is in your interest to find out what the average results look like and to get a clear understanding of how many of these procedures each provider has actually performed.
For reference an experienced plastic surgeon and should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 set of before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures like liposuction. highly experienced surgeons will in fact have hundreds or even thousands of before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures.
Obviously there are those who are earlier in their career.
Personally I recommend staying with skilled and experienced providers.
When reviewing before and after pictures look very closely at all areas treated with Liposuction. Make sure there are no skin contour irregularities in any of the treated areas. ask the provider to point out exactly what areas were treated with Liposuction and what areas were not treated. then look carefully at transition zones between treated and untreated areas.In regards to Liposuction of the abdomen I view the torso as a single anatomic unit and generally prefer to treat the entire torso as a single unit.
By treating the entire torso as a single anatomic unit patients are left without transition zones between treated and untreated areas.
The concept of treating the torso as a single unit without transition zones is less important and low BMI patients. and chubby people with over an inch of subcutaneous fat the impact of liposuction is dramatic enough that it’s not possible to have a natural transition zone between treated and untreated areas even if the procedure is done well. most people simply get a better result if the entire torso is treated uniformly. A full torso includes upper abdomen, lower abdomen, love handles (all the way down to the top of the hip dip), waist, fall back, under arm (arm pit )all the way to the side of the breast.
You should also take careful notes about the overall thoroughness of the consultation including all aspects of a complete consultation like review of medical history, physical examination, assessment, recommendation of procedures, alternative procedures, risks and benefits, complications including what complications a surgeon is had and how they are managed, preparation for surgery, instructions for recovery, revision rates and revision policy etc.
Take careful notes about both the quantity and quality of before and after pictures any of the provider showed sufficient number of pictures of previous patient that look very similar to what you look like.
Most people don’t have a lot of experience consulting with plastic surgeons. On the other hand plastic surgeons typically have lots of experience giving consultations.
Recognize that you are the one paying for the procedure and you are hiring someone to do a service for you.
You have all the right in the world to ask for documentation including seeing a variety of results including results that were less than what the provider read hoped for.
If providers fail to cooperate then simply make a note of that and continue to the next provider.
I think you’ll find that the most talented and experience providers will be the most open minded in regards to showing you a variety of results and being truthful about what the procedure can and cannot accomplish in their hands.
Assessing patience for Liposuction candidacy is not easy or straightforward.
Even mild skin laxity can contribute significantly to contour and some areas simply don’t respond to Liposuction because of how the skin drapes especially in certain anatomic positions.
Lower extremity liposuction is technically difficult and often does not deliver the results patients had hoped for.
True saddlebags can respond well but other areas like the upper inner thigh Typically does not give the results patience and hope for and it’s prone to having contour irregularities if the procedure is not done with technical expertise.
If you have any doubts then simply slow down and schedule more consultations.
Nobody has to have liposuction.
Based on your description of yourself a question if the procedure is indicated in the first place.
Recognize that if provider selection is not done well the procedure can leave you permanently disfigured.
Good luck,
Mats Hagstrom MD