Skin discoloration 1.5 years after Brazilian butt lift. What can I do to minimize appearance? 43 y/o (photo)

Question

Hello, I am a 43 year old female of West African descent. 160 Ibs, 5.7 height I had a bbl a year and half ago and I have skin discoloration. What kind I do to help get rid of it. Thank you

Alan Gonzalez, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello @Resourceful269893, thank you for your question and showing you pictures. Scarring has a maturation cycle of approximately one to one and a half years depending on the patient's skin. The scar takes different features depending on the process inherent to the patient's health and skin condition and can be treated through non surgical treatments. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP)

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Resourceful269893,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you 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

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Scars can be visible primarily in two ways. scars can have color change or the three-dimensional contour or topography of the area being raised or creating a divot. contour irregularities are generally seen because the contour irregularity will cause light to reflect differently creating certain shadows in a certain light. this is for example why we see wrinkles despite the skin having no color difference. The wrinkles can be seen because the contour creates shadows. In medical Termanology we generally refer to this as scars having hypertrophy or hypotrophy. 
The second reason a surgical scar can be visible is because of color changes. most people will develop hyper pigmentation(darkening of the scar) during the early phases of wound healing. Hyper pigmentation can I have a different color depending on each individual person‘s genetic make up and complexion. for example, people lacking complexion i.e. white people tend to hyperpigment with pink or light purple colored hyper pigmentation. Individuals with more pigment (brow skin) often hyper pigment with a color that is darker than their inherent skin color. this process takes a substantial amount of time and early hyperpigmentation typically continues for 6 to 9 months after surgery. at that time the color usually begins to fade and eventually the final scar is often lighter than the persons baseline skin color. Skin incisions can take 12 to 18 months before they stop changing in shape and color. 
The first step in the process is to determine if this has a contour issue or if it’s purely related to hypo pigmentation or the color of the scar tissue.
If the contour is perfect and the only issue is hypo pigmentation then sometimes it’s better to stop and not do anything and simply accept that when you have surgery including liposuction and fat transfer it requires making incisions.
There is little that can be done to treat hypo pigmentation. One option is very careful tattooing but the chance of having that become a perfect match is unlikely. I don’t recommend tattooing but it may be an option for some. 
If the scar is excessive in size it may be possible to improve by doing a scar revision. Not all scars are candidates for doing scar revision. Typically if the surgery was done correctly and the person healed normally then doing a scar Revision will most likely in the end end up looking very similar. scar revisions are indicated when there’s good evidence that redoing the scar will in the end end up looking better.
Examples when scar revisions are indicated include individuals who healed poorly because the wound opened up, became infected or perhaps was repaired by someone lacking skill and experience.
Typically liposuction openings are quite small and many surgeons don’t put in stitches.
The incision even if it’s made very small at the beginning of surgery can expand and get stretched out as the surgeon does all of the work with the cannula through that one incision.
It looks to me like you have two incisions next to each other which doesn’t make sense.
In conclusion it’s unlikely a scar revision would make your scar look significantly better. There’s probably plenty of plastic surgeons happy to take your money willing to try.
There are indeed certain criteria for when a scar revision is indicated and I’m not sure yours to meet any of them. Trying to match the color of your scar to the rest of your skin with skin coloring like tattoo is probably not going to make a final improvement but will rather look like some other form of discoloration.
To make an accurate assessment and recommend treatment options for this situation really requires an examination and in person consultation.
Talk to your provider to see what he or she has to say about the scars to see if they have any ideas on improving them.
I don’t think any skin treatment like radio frequency, laser etc. will improve your outcome.
It’s common for different incisions to heal slightly differently on different parts of the body from liposuction and fat transfer. Most people recognize there will be some scars left from the surgical procedure and considering how small they are in comparison to how much can be achieved through liposuction and fat transfer the scores are a very fair trade off. it’s not possible to do the work without making a decision so scars are an inevitable consequence of having the procedure.
While your scars are visible hypopigmented scars are generally far better than those individuals who develop hypertrophic or keloid type scars including permanent hyperpigmented scars.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD

Skin discoloration 1.5 years after Brazilian butt lift. What can I do to minimize appearance? 43 y/o (photo)

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