Is it true that if you lipo above the belly button that the skin will die? My TT is tomorrow morning. Thank you in advance.

Hello  and thank-you for your question.I routinely incorporate liposuction and the abdomen and waist as part to the tummy-tuck procedure. This allows me to achieve a better waistline for my patients and reduce the length of the abdominoplasty incision. If there is fullness of the flanks (lumbar roll) I frequently recommend liposuction of this area in addition to the tummy-tuck. Best wishes,Andrew Lyos, MD, FACS

 Thank you for your question, and good luck tomorrow. I do routinely do liposuction above the bellybutton as well as the flanks as part of my tummy tuck procedure 

While in general it is true that liposuction in an area that will be part of the skin that is undermined, serious complications such as you describe are uncommon. My preference is to directly remove the fat on the undersurface of the flap rather than liposuction so that the blood flow is not compromised in the part that remains.

There are many factors involved when it comes to the blood supply to the skin above the belly button. Wide undermining and aggressive liposuction can increase the risk of skin loss but more modern techniques involving minimal undermining and less aggressive liposuction are much safer. There is always a slight increase in the risk when the two are combined but when done properly it is minimal. Hope that helps! 

Liposuction can be safely performed above the belly button if adequate blood vessels are preserved on both sides.  This procedure will not be safe in smokers or in those patients who require extensive undermining over the ribs to bring down the upper abdominal tissues while removing the lower abdominal excess skin and fat.

Hi Ms. SaigonThat is not absolutely true.  What is true is that the tt is an operation that disrupts blood supply.  Liposuction can also compromise blood supply.  Doing both together increases the risk of wound healing problems, especially in the midline of the incision area.Good surgical judgement is always needed to prevent complications, but they can still occur.sek

It depends. Even without lipo skin can die. We commonly perform liposuction centrally in appropriate candidates though differently and with less undermining. If your surgeon typically does this and believes you are an appropriate candidate then you are likely to do well.

I liposuction above the belly button in all of my tummy tucks.  It's part of either a Avelar Lipo-Tummy Tuck or a High Lateral Tension Lipo-Tummy Tuck.  What is important is to stay in the deep fatty layer (There are two fast layers, deep and superficial) when performing liposuction above the belly button during a tummy tuck.

This is a good question and is not completely a true statement.  If too much liposuctioning is performed( particularly in the superficial layer) there can be a serious loss of circulation to the lower part of th abdominal flap with resultant potential loss of skin.  If done properly, however, the upper part of the abdomen can be liposuctioned with a nice result!  Are you confused yet about this?  My advice a day before your scheduled surgery is to let your Plastic Surgeon do whatever he or she is comfortable with.  The area can always be aggressively liposuctioned as a secondary procedure six months to one year after the procedure as a secondary procedure.good luck to you.Frank Rieger M.D.  Tampa Plastic Surgeon

Hello and thank you for your question. It may increase the risk slightly.  I do it in all my cases and fortunately have not seen an increase in skin necrosis. Good luck tomorrow. Peter Fisher M.D