I have lumpy, wavy, dimpled skin after liposuction. Surgeons technique or normal?

If you find a very experienced surgeon, the flap created from liposuction will be uniform.  There should not be contour issues even in thinner patients.   I will say that sometimes healing is not perfect, and some results are clearly not technique related.Liposuction results are highly surgeon dependent. Find a board certified plastic
surgeon who performs hundreds of liposuction and liposuction revision
procedures each year. Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before
and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the
results. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Hi, thank you for your question. Liposuction results should be smooth and natural. Waviness could be a sign of skin excess (the skin did not contract enough to compensate for the fat that was removed with liposuction). Dents could be a sign of uneven technique or other problems. Lumps can be a normal part of the healing process that goes away on their own. Waviness can often be avoided by careful patient selection and technique. When present, additional procedures like radio frequency energy or abdominoplasty can usually solve the problem. Dents can usually be corrected with fat grafting. Lumps that persist can often be improved with massage.

Following liposuction, unfortunately there is a risk of dimples or waves.  This can be a result of poor skin integrity, cellulite pre-op or technique driven.  I recommend wearing a compression garmet for six weeks following surgery, massaging the area of liposuction three times a day beginning one week post-operatively, and keeping the area of liposuction flat (such as abdomen) while healing.  If the dimples persist after six months and are of significant size, a fat transfer may be performed to help the contour deformity.  You may call my office if you have any further questions.Thank you,Dr. Mizuguchi