Can I be healing slower than other people after tumescent lipo?

Question

It has been 5 weeks since I had tumescent lipo suction. My doctor closed the incisions right after surgery. I have visible bumps, my bellybutton appears inflame, and my lower abdomen is very hard with visible bumps. I see some progress every week, but small. I am massaging the area with ultrasound every day. My lipo was done outside the U.S, and I regret that because I can't do follow up appointments with my PS. Any suggestions? Many thanks, in advance for your kindness and attention to my questions.

Matthew G. Stanwix, MD, FACS · Answer

Patience is a virtue when it comes to liposuction. It takes up to six months to get the contour from liposuction because of the way your body heals an the swelling. In terms of your incisions, it is difficult to tell what is going in without a picture. I like to protect my incisions with different advanced methods to limit the injury to them. Having plastic surgery outside the US is risky as the standards of care are much less strict. If your incisions are red and not looking right, then I would seek care from a bc plastic surgeon in your community to follow up with. You can go to most for a small out of pocket fee. Safety is most important and making sure there is nothing worrisome is worth it. Best wishes.

David J. Levens, MD · Answer

Your description of is not unusual for early after liposuction.  Massage can be helpful and improvement over time is a good sign. Early scars can be red and appear inflamed.  As long as there is no drainage or significant pain, infection is less likely but have a plastic surgeon take a look to be sure no treatment is needed.

Lee E. Corbett, MD · Answer

Swelling and hard areas after liposuction can all be normal for up to 3 to 6 months. But without knowing exactly what was done it is hard to advise you. I think you are going to have to find a local board certified plastic surgeon and see if they will assume your care.

Paul Wigoda, MD · Answer

Without seeing photos and even better, an exam, its really not possible to give you very useful information. Unfortunately, when you have surgery outside of the country, you are taking a big risk because if you have complications, your surgeon is hard to reach and any local surgeon you visit may not be able to tell exactly what was done. Sometimes saving a little money up front ends up costing you more in the end.

M. Dean Vistnes, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

The lumpiness and hardness after any type of liposuction typically persists at least 6-8 weeks after the surgery then slowly goes away. In my experience, daily massage of the hard areas makes the biggest difference in getting rid of it sooner rather than later. Hope this helps, Dean Vistnes.

Can I be healing slower than other people after tumescent lipo?

Answers (5)

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