Can I get lipo on my upper back?

Question

I've been to several consultants for a tummy tuck, lipo 360, and a breast lift. I'm 5'1" 133lbs with a BMI 24.5 and this one surgeon said he doesn't do lipo on your upper back because it will give you dimply skin, he said like Tara Reid lipo gone bad.. is that correct? This dr. Came highly recommend but I'm not sure if there are different lipo machines and he just doesn't have this certain lipo machine that melts the fat or what? Should I get lipo 360 before getting my procedure done with him?

Finny George, MD · Answer

Hi, thank you for sharing your question. The best way to determine if liposuction of your upper back is possible is through an in-person consultation, but briefly, if you feel that there is enough fat in this area to remove, schedule a second opinion. I find that VASER liposuction is very good in treating back fat. I hope this helps. Best of luck!

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

ye we do liposuction on the upper back everday, post photos and consult.

my whole practice is doing lipoabdominoplasty, or at least liposuction with internal heating (which is not the gold standard for skin tightening with body contouring).

the smaller you are before liposuction the more contouring you can get from the procedure. most of my liposuction patients get pre and post surgical optimization with hormonal therapy (see link to help boost their weight loss before surgery and help them heal after).

You need a formal evaluation by an expert in body shaping and contouring to determine what is best.  Traditional liposuction awake and smart liposuction are old methods and do very poorly for tightening skin or significant skin tightening or contouring.  Small problem areas can be improved slightly by these methods.  The best in body contouring not only removes fat with energy devices like VASER ultrasound but also internally heat the skin with radio-frequency devices such as J PLASMA/RENUVION, InMode BodyTite, ThermiRF to heat the under surface of the skin and tighten it at the same time as fat removal. These combinations are called 4D HIDEF VASER contouring and can only be done by a well . trained body contouring specialist. At the same time fat should be harvested, PRP and stem cells added and injected into muscles or indentations/cellulite to get body shaping and contouring.  This is known as a Brazilian butt lift when you inject the fat to the buttock for contouring and lifting, but fat can also be used in areas such as the chest/breast, arms/shoulders, calves and face.  Cellulite should also be treated with cellfina, sculptra, subcision and/or fillers such as bellafill, renuva synthetic fat, or sculptra.  If skin is very loose before surgery then it will need to be removed such as lower abdominal skin (tummy tuck/abdominoplasty), breast skin (breast lift), arm skin (brachioplasty).  Overall you need a full assessment, but simple liposuction alone will not tighten skin and needs a combination of various methods -- fat removal, skin tightening, defining, fat grafting, skin removal -- to get the best in body contouring and body sculpting.  Dr. Emer.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Helpful795911,it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Generally speaking, it is possible to get good results after upper back liposuction. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

Yes, liposuction can be performed on the upper back.  Schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to determine if you are a candidate.  Discuss your goals for surgery as well as the pros and cons of the procedure.  At that time you'll be able to make an informed decision on how to proceed.

Douglas Taranow, DO, FACOS · Answer

The upper back is one of the best areas to liposuction.  It RARELY causes dents or cannula lines!  
My concern is someone doing a full abdominoplasty and still liposuctioning the front of your belly (usually I just liposuction the sides and lower back [flanks] with the tummy tuck) to preserve the blood supply to the abdominal flap.
Dr. T

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

I would find a surgeon who is comfortable in doing liposuction of the upper back. I do this area frequently with good results.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Personally I view the torso as a single anatomic unit and treat the entire torso and it’s entirety or don’t treat it at all. There are exceptions like people who have had previous surgery but typically I would like to leave people with a natural even fat distribution that doesn’t have transition zone between treated and untreated areas. This typically means including the entire back and under arm area. There is no problem with getting divots or indentations in this part of the body if anything the area is forgiving because the skin is the thickest on the back.

I don’t think you found the right provider for your procedure. Continue having consultations. I will include some general recommendations for the seeking cosmetic surgery. If you follow these you should get a very high-quality outcome.
1. I recommend patients avoid traveling long distances for elective surgical procedures. There are of course instances where there is a lack of local talent and traveling to some degree is inevitable. If traveling for the procedure patients should be ready to travel to have the consultation, post operative appointments and follow up should there be issues or complications.
Patients sometimes do not appreciate the importance of in person consultations, that complications do happen or the number of people who have issues with their results or need revisions.

2. Schedule multiple consultations with different providers in your area who seem to have a good reputation for the procedure you’re interested in. Starting with at least five consultations seems like a reasonable number to me.

3. Whenever possible schedule in person consultations.  
4. During in person consultations ask each plastic surgeon to show all of their before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in.

The goal is not to see the best results of their career but to get an idea of what average results look like and get some type of confirmation of how many of these procedures that provider has performed.

Ask to see results that were not as good as the doctor would’ve hoped for and talk about the differences in outcomes.

Honest and experienced providers should have no problems presenting this type of information.

A highly experienced plastic surgeon should have hundreds of before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in. At a minimum at least 20+.

5. Read all the reviews on various physician review websites paying close attention and avoiding providers with any significant number of justified negative reviews.  Providers with an abundance of reviews often have aggressive marketing campaigns.

The plastic surgeons I respect most all have the single variable of not having justified negative reviews on their online profiles. 
In my opinion justified negative reviews are far more telling than an abundance of positive reviews.

6. Avoid scheduling for surgery or making a deposit on the day of the consultation.  Give yourself some time to think about the decision and make sure you finished all scheduled consultations before committing to having surgery that will permanently and irreversibly change your body.

When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.

Choosing the right plastic surgeon is the single most important variable to having a positive experience.

7. Don’t go chasing after technology or names of certain equipment. Instead focus all your efforts on finding the most experienced and talented board-certified plastic surgeon.

Best,

Mats HagstromMD

Can I get lipo on my upper back?

Answers (7)

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