Deformed belly after liposuction. How can I improve it? (photo)

Thank you for your question and pictures. I would recommend you Tummy Tuck for betters results. If you're willing to travel, Surgeons in the Dominican Republic have experience and very high standard of excellence when it comes to plastic surgery. I'm positive you can get what you're looking for

Pending a formal evaluation, you may be a good candidate for a Revision Liposuction. You need a formal evaluation by an expert in body shaping and contouring to determine what is best.

The best in body contouring not only removes fat with energy devices like VASER ultrasound but also internally heats the skin with radiofrequency devices such as Renuvion (J-Plasma), InMode BodyTite, and ThermiRF to heat the undersurface of the skin and tighten it at the same time as fat removal. These combinations are called 4D HI-DEF VASER Liposuction and can only be done by a well-trained body contouring specialist. At the same time, fat should be harvested and purified, with PRP and stem cells added, and then injected into muscles, indentations and cellulite to get body shaping and contouring. For a Brazilian butt lift (BBL), we inject the fat into 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 a combination of QWO or Cellfina, 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: tummy tuck/abdominoplasty for lower abdominal skin; breast lift for excess breast skin; and/or a brachioplasty for loose arm skin. 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. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer.

Your BCPS should have told you that you were far from an ideal candidate for liposuction, but instead were an excellent candidate for a tummy tuck, which happens to be the only way to fix your belly. Done correctly, your scar will be so low that your pubic tattoo will be removed.

Hello! Here are a couple of thoughts. First, you only have provided one photo which shows excess skin of the lower abdomen, stretch marks, outpouching of the mid-abdomen, and a lower left tattoo. The flanks appear to have a reasonable contour. What is missing are your pre-liposuction photos. There is always a comparison that is required. Second, it is not apparent what was discussed in the initial consultation. Were the different options discussed regarding liposuction versus tummy tuck, including realistic expectations of each? It very well may be that liposuction was selected based on minimal downtime, less invasiveness, easier recovery, etc. Was a tummy tuck ever discussed? These are things the reader does not know. Third, because your photo indicates that there is skin laxity (which is unlikely to tighten with non-invasive methods), excess volume, and outpoutching of the abdominal wall - you would benefit from a full TT. Please do waste your hard-earned money on non-invasive and minimally effective procedures. A Full TT will release the skin above your belly button and allow for abdominal wall tightening from the upper abdomen to the pubis. It is going to give you the most mid-abdominal tightening. It also allows the upper abdominal skin to be pulled down and consequently the lower abdominal skin is maximally removed. Best of luck! Jules A Feledy, Jr, MD American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgery

Dear Optimistic338655,
based on your photos, you look like a good candidate for a TT. Full tummy tuck should tighten your abdominal muscles and remove the excess skin. Flanks liposuction would give you a better shape. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon because 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

This often happens if you have excess loose skin which tends to become more lax after liposuction...Your surgeon must have explained this to you. Ideally you should have opted for a tummy tuck along with liposuction to have smooth, tightened and toned abdomen. This can still be corrected by a second liposuction along with tummy tuck

Your picture tells your story.

You had the wrong surgery in the first place. Usually done by an inexperienced or untrained plastic surgeon.

You need a tummy tuck. That can treat the problem.

Good luck

It is obvious you had excess skin before the lipo that no liposuction techniques or non invasive or minimally invasive options (Body Tite, J-Plasma, both a waste of time & $$$)could have corrected! Now I recommend full TT with muscle plication as the best option. Expect fees in the $7,000+++ ranges.

Two things come to mind from seeing your pictures. The first is that you were not a good Liposuction candidate to start with and the second was that the Liposuction was not done very well.

I continue to tell people that delivering consistent high-quality Liposuction results is far more difficult than most people including plastic surgeons believe.

Liposuction is a permanent and more or less irreversible procedure. Attempting to correct poor outcomes is typically done through revision Liposuction, fat transfer or at times converting the procedure to a skin tightening procedure by simply cutting out the treated area.

Most of the time patients are not good candidates for any of these revision options.

In your case however you were really a far better candidate for a tummy tuck than you were Liposuction.

You have significant skin laxity and muscle separation from previous pregnancies and these are treated with a tummy tuck not Liposuction.

In your case the good news is that almost all of the problems are below your belly button and that skin is removed as part of a well done full tummy tuck.

In your case converting this to a tummy tuck is by far the best option and is what you should’ve done in the first place.

I don’t see any other good way to correct the outcome without cutting out the poorly treated area and at the same time addressing the skin laxity and muscle separation.

I suppose it would’ve been nice to go to the correct procedure to start with but my best guess is you were apprehensive of having a tummy tuck at the time and opted for Liposuction which was not a good procedure for you in regards to the front of the Abdomen.

Your provider is giving you excuses.

I suggest scheduling in person consultations with other local board-certified plastic surgeons.

It goes without saying that patients should put a significant amount of work and effort into finding the most talented and experience providers.

Do so by having multiple in person consultations. During consultations ask providers to show their entire collection of before and after pictures of the procedure you’re interested in.

If a provider cannot demonstrate at least 50 sets of quality before and after pictures then consider continuing your search. In reality highly experienced providers will have hundreds or possibly even thousands of before and after pictures for any one single procedure.

I would also recommend reading all reviews on all various physician review websites and avoid providers with any significant number of justified at negative reviews.

The absence of justified negative reviews is far more important and more telling than an abundance of positive reviews. justified negative reviews are always organic while positive reviews may or may not be.

Board certification is an important baseline but does not have anything to do with experience or talent.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

You are right. This will not go away with further time. It is hard to tell with just the picture, but it appears that the liposuction was quite irregular with more fat removed from some areas than others and some removed quite superficially with worsening of stretch marks. You need to see an expert in liposuction and abdominal rejuvenation. Further liposuction appears needed. However you may need fat grafting of some areas or even a tummy tuck to correct the area.