Liposuction Horror - Please Ladies Be Very Careful - Research May Not Be Enough - Get Recommendations! (photo)

Your doctor may have been an expert on liposuction, but was he a plastic surgeon? Your story is illustrative of a patient who wants and has the wrong operation for her body. You needed an abdominoplasty and liposuction would not correct your problem. There was no reason to go to France. The United States is home to the largest number of board certified plastic surgeons in the world, with many outstanding surgeons in California. Save the airfare and use the ASPS directory as a starting point.

I am truly sorry for what you are going through.  Please do not view any comments I am about to make as critical of you but since many others read and hopefully learn from these comments, they need to be educational as well. 

Choice of Surgeon - there is ABOLUTEY no reason for someone in the USA and especially in a state like California which is full of good Plastic surgeons to go abroad for Liposuction. Doing so is not only expensive but becomes very expensive when complications happen. It is always best to pick a surgeon close to where you live to care for you. 

Choice of Surgery - respectfully - your photographs suggest a preoperative excess of BOTH fat and skin. As a result, the ideal would have been a loss of 20-30 pounds followed by a Tummy Tuck. Barring that, I would have suggested Liposuction. Followed 6-8 months later, after the inflammation has subsided and the skin has fully softened and sagged, by a Tummy Tuck which would remove all skin excess and flatten the tummy. 

Present options - please obtain your operative records from your French surgeon and consult with several local Plastic surgeons. The Bay area is awash with good surgeons. Consult the website of the American Society of  PlasticSurgeons. All of us have seen cases such as yours, often done by inexperienced  Non-plastic surgeons. Your situation is correctable but it sadly could have been prevented.

Good Luck

Peter A Aldea, MD