Pain and swelling years after laser lipo (Photo)

Question

I receive laser Lipo in 2020. The surgery was not good and I was botched, about a year after the surgery, I started feeling pain in one of the injection sites. I started to do self massages, and it would give me temporary relief. However, as the months go on the pain is getting worse and worse. Now I am taking prescription painkillers every day just to not be able to function properly. Now the pain has gotten worse and now the Area is slightly swollen.

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for sharing your concerns about the persistent pain and swelling you're experiencing after your laser lipo procedure, and for providing your history and photograph. Based on your description, it's possible that scar tissue formation could be pressing against a nerve, leading to the symptoms you're enduring.

Potential treatment options include:

Steroid Injections: Medications like prednisone and Kenalog can be injected into the scar tissue to help reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
5-FU Injections: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) can sometimes be used to treat hypertrophic scars or keloids, which might alleviate your symptoms.
Scar Tissue Resection: A surgical approach might be considered if non-invasive treatments don't offer relief. This would involve making an incision in the affected area and excising the scar tissue.
Nerve Ablation: As a last resort, if the pain persists, consulting with a pain management specialist about ablating or cutting the affected nerve could be an option.
It's imperative to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist to assess the exact nature of your issue and recommend the best course of action tailored to your specific situation.
Wishing you relief and the best possible outcome.
Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

Justin Yovino, MD, FACS · Answer

Chronic pain after liposuction is very rare from my experience. An investigation of the pain and swelling is warranted. Start with a visit to a medical doctor who obtains a detailed history, performs a comprehensive physical exam, obtains labs, and probably most importantly, leads a radiologic work-up. An ultrasound is simple, low cost, and easy to obtain. It would give insight and likely will help guide treatment. Further anatomical evaluation would be with a CT scan and/or MRI. Treatment may be surgical or non-surgical. The work-up will dictate the decision tree.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

Best to do I person opinion to see with ultrasound examination if any findings. Sounds like scar internal tissue around nerve. Only surgery might help?

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

What you describe sounds highly unusual. If the pain began one year after your plastic surgery procedure then it is most likely not related to the operation.
Most patients are completely healed three months after liposuction with the exception of the skin incisions which continue to fade for about a year and a half. Chronic pain after liposuction is exceedingly rare and having done over 8000 liposuction procedures I have not seen anyone who’s had what you described. This makes me think that your cause of pain is unrelated to your procedure. Your picture is insufficient to get an assessment on the outcome of the procedure, but it certainly does not look botched from the picture included. Plastic surgeons do not specialize in chronic pain so it’s unlikely any plastic surgeon is going to be able to give you any useful information regarding your chronic pain situation. 
Following up with your plastic surgeon may be appropriate regarding the Aesthetic outcome. Otherwise I suggest working with physicians who specialize in pain management to try to get an understanding of what the ideology is. 
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD

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