I had lipo done on my stomach. It is now 9 months after and I still have these red marks all over. (Photo)

Question

What are these marks? They are making me very self conscious... And how do I treat them ?

Jennifer Reichel, MD · Answer

If the red discoloration of your skin is related to your liposuction (rather than being associated with pre-existing stretch marks), then a possible diagnosis is Erythema Ab Liporaspiration. Erythema Ab Liporaspiration is a vascular condition that occurs after liposuction when there is trauma to what is called the subdermal vascular plexus. This is the network of capillaries that are present just beneath the skin surface. It is similar to a well known entity called Erythema Ab Igne - which looks the same and is caused by chronic heat to the skin and damage to the same vascular plexus. The best option right now, is to discuss the changes with your surgeon to see what he/she thinks. Treatment options could include use of a pulse dye laser such as the Vbeam Perfecta to try and decrease the redness.

Deborah Ekstrom, MD · Answer

I have seen marks like this on a patient who had laser treatments and on a patient who had no procedures or modalities at all, and now you.I am also mystified.  They may not even be related to your surgery, even if that is when they appeared.  You didn't say what kind of lipo you had.  Was it a heat type that melts fat with laser?  Sometimes heat types of lipo can alter nerve signal due to heat deep in the tissues and possibly that could alter the nerve signals to the mechanisms that control the capillaries in your skin.  That is a complete guess and speculation, of course. Check in with your surgeon to see if he/she has any ideas or has seen it before.  If not, after healing is complete at one and a half or two years down the road, a laser treatment test spot might be in order to see if it will take it away if it persists.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Red skin discoloration is almost always due to some type of blood vessel condition.The smallest blood vessels in our bodies are called capillaries.When capillaries are dilated take a look like small spider veins.Sometimes if there is an excess in growth of capillaries the skin can look red without showing spider veins.This type of red discoloration may respond well to search a laser treatments or even possibly to an IPL(similar to laser but technically lot a laser treatment)If you gently push out of one of the red spots and see if it blanches when you let your finger off it will confirm if this is related to the capillaries in your skin.Follow up with your plastic surgeon.If he or she is not able to make a proper assessment or give you a treatment plan and ask him or her to refer you to a dermatologist who ha access to and experience with laser treatments.Best,Mats Hagstrom M.D.

I had lipo done on my stomach. It is now 9 months after and I still have these red marks all over. (Photo)

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