Will I need more than Liposuction 360 for sagging skin? (Photos)

Question

I am 62 years old. I have been active all my life, sports, bit of. daredevil and a desk job, and as a result I paid the price. Never obese. My uniform weight loss throuout my body had been running. Past 14 years, I had series of leg surgeries to my non-dominant leg, changin my lifestyle. No running. And vicious cycle- surgery, PT, fat, surgery... My muscles turned to fat, and accumulated fat. I had my final surgery TKR and trekked to the Andes—for the first time in a long time. I have strong muscles but I saw sagging of skin even if I did 100 crunches. Enter Tummy tuck. Wearing my old size 6 was terrific. Since I maintained my weight though exercises, and running, I never really saw my backside- never had to, but after plastic surgery, I saw how my body had changed. While I expect that my spine and other areas of my extreme sports will eventually take a toll, I don’t like the way my entire backside looks. It’s fat, and I cannot lose weight around brarolls ( term I found out recently), my back, my upper arms. I can still wear size 6 or 8 on top but b/c it is combination of fat and skin lax, clothes do not fit well. I saw 360 liposuction and it looks enticing. I consulted one excellent surgeon in US, and he advised that liposuction alone is not the issue for me, it is the excess skin I have. And there is a trade off- a large scar that is unsightly scar of the back will not look good with backless dresses. And surgery to the back do need more care.

Gary M. Horndeski, MD · Answer

Liposuction only removes fat, it does nothing for the skin. From your photographs, you do not have real significant fat to remove. Your biggest problem is you have excess skin. This will require horizontal excisions to remove the excess skin. One incision can be done at the bra line and another incision over the buttocks region. The lower buttocks incision will be a continuation of your tummy tuck and make it a circumferential lift. Your tummy tuck result looks quite good. The buttocks incision alone will not take care of the upper back. You will need a separate procedure for the upper back.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Don W. Griffin, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. I agree with your consulting surgeon that your issue is more skin laxity than excess fat. I'm sure you pinch this area and say to yourself that you have all this extra fat, but it's really that you are grabbing the excess skin with a normal amount of fat beneath it, not just excess fat. Liposuction of this area often creates more skin laxity and/or contour irregularities because removing the fat without addressing the skin laxity will create more sagging, not less. Surgical excision with an upper back lift will remove the excess skin and fat, but does leave a noticeable scar. This procedure is great for massive weight loss patients with multiple skin rolls, but the trade -off of the scar vs. the sagging is not as good in patients like you who are thin, but just have age-related skin laxity. Non-surgical skin tightening like Morpheus 8 or BodyTite will help some with skin tightening but tend to work better in patients in their 30s and 40c who have a greater amount of skin tightening with these procedures than older patients. I know, not the answer you were hoping for, but better to have the honest truth to make an informed decision.

Will I need more than Liposuction 360 for sagging skin? (Photos)

Answers (2)

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