Unhappy with the fullness of sides/flank area 7 months post-op tummy tuck, recommendations to fix? (Photos)

Thank you for your question and photos. Preoperative photos would've been helpful. Based on these photos, you had a standard 2D tummy tuck with some liposuction done on the flanks only in the supine position. This is considered a good result by most surgeons. To get an hourglass figure and give you the smallest waist, you would've needed liposuction 360 degrees with your TT and possibly fat transfer to the buttocks/hips. This should have been discussed with you preoperatively, to educate you about the limitations of the surgery you signed up for. Often people think they can get away with less surgery (cost, recovery time, etc.) and still obtain the results they imagined. Not going to happen.
As a Total Definer plastic surgeon, if you were my patient, going forward I would do VASER Hi Def Lipo 360 degrees and fat transfer to the buttocks/hips to create a feminine hourglass figure. See a board certified plastic surgeon experienced in advanced body sculpting techniques for an in person consultation/evaluation. Good luck.

Thank you for your inquiry! Keep an open communication with your provider regarding your concerns. We would also be available to see you in person and discuss your revision options. Schedule a consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon to help you reach your goals!

You have small dog ears both sides she a bit of excess of fat which both will be resolved found the extension of the incision and little liposuction.
Short procedure, easy to recover.
Be encouraged.
Dr. Cárdenas

Your scar goes quite high. You will need the scar excised laterally to pull it down and you should also have an umbilical revision.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

You have both residual adiposity of the hip/flank complex AND functional skin excess in that region. The fix is what could have been done in the original surgery: liposuction AND further skin excision. This would lengthen the ends of the tummy tuck scar for an indeterminate distance posteriorly, but will give you optimum contour, which is so important in that region as it defines the upper limits of the buttocks and transition to a tight waist.

An examination can tell if you have some residual fat. If you do, liposuction of that area can be done. this could be done in the office under local or at a facility that does general anesthesia.

From your photos you can have further improvement with liposuction. This would sculpt your curves to give you more of the result you are wanting. As you are seven months post op, you can consider proceeding with liposuction when ready.

Nice posted 2 photos. I recommend liposuction with J-Plama to effect a change in appearance of your flanks. Fee $5,000.Best to virtual consult with.....

This is a very common complaint. To do Liposuction well of the love handles and the waist the patients need to be appropriately positioned on the operating table. The best position is with patients laying on their side. This is unpopular when using general anesthesia to keep the patient stable without falling over. putting patients face down is the other option and this generally is not done after a full tummy tuck because of the tension on the abdomen when laying flat. This means that if the procedure is going to be done well it needs to be done before the tummy tuck by repositioning the patient to a prone or face down position, the process of moving people in the operating room under anesthesia is fairly complex. It can take up to 30 minutes and often involves the help of six individuals to safely reposition patients. The nursing staff and anesthesiologist are not big fans of plastic surgeons repositioning patients, but they recognize it is sometimes necessary in order for us to do our work.
Unfortunately, a lot of plastic surgeons simply do the entire procedure with patients laying on their back or in a supine position. There is simply no way you can properly contour the Torso with the patient laying on their back.
I cannot stress the importance of properly vetting plastic surgeons when it comes to having cosmetic surgical procedures. Most patients do this for the primary procedure, which is the tummy tuck, and this is typically where the surgeon focuses all their efforts. The Liposuction is seen as a secondary minor thing that just needs to be taken care of. With that attitude it’s no wonder there’s so much bad liposuction work being done. If you look at some of the most stunning before and after pictures of well done, Liposuction, especially when it’s done as a primary procedure, you’ll recognize the incredible type of results that are possible from Liposuction. On top of this most plastic surgeons simply aren’t that good at Liposuction. Delivering consistent quality Liposuction Rizzo Old is far more difficult than most people realize it and it takes a total commitment to get this procedure, right. simply being too lazy or greedy to spend the time and effort to move the patient during surgery to get the results right happens all too often.
I have no idea who your surgeon is or what position you were placed in the during surgery. you didn’t include it before and after pictures so we can’t really make any type of assessment regarding your outcome. to make an accurate assessment on the outcome of a plastic surgery procedure we always need to see a complete set of proper before and after pictures. If you don’t have before and after pictures, then ask your surgeon to forward the pictures they took. this should include pictures taken of your backside. Some plastic surgeons are also apprehensive. I’m doing aggressive, liposuction in conjunction with a full tummy tuck, because this can potentially increase the chance of serious complications, including tissue, necrosis and wound dehiscence.
Follow up with your provider and have him or her address your concerns. You may want to ask them specifically what position you were in while they did the Liposuction.
You should also ask yourself how many before and after pictures were you shown a previous patient who had liposuction in conjunction with a tummy tuck and then those results have quality liposuction results?
To find the right provider I suggest patients have multiple in person consultations. 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. if you’re having multiple procedures or a combination of procedures, then ask the surgeon to show you before and after pictures that demonstrates competency in each of the operations you are having done.
An experienced plastic surgeon should have no difficulty showing you the before, and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients. Being shown a handful of pre-selected images, representing the best results of a providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider or how many of these procedures they’ve actually done.
In the end, your surgeon is responsible for your outcome, and you are responsible for choosing that surgeon.
If your surgeon that does not address your concerns properly, then I suggest having a few in person second opinion consultations. For a second opinion, consultations patient should come prepared bringing with them a complete set of before and after pictures and a copy of your operative report.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD