Can I get a BBL with a flank (lumbar) hernia?

Question

Also known as lumbar hernia. It is located on the left side of my adobminal wall right above my hip.

Alan Gonzalez, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello @kcoss_, thank you for your question. It is possible for some conditions to allow surgical procedures to be performed, however, in order to determine if they are suitable, a medical examination and assessment appointment must be scheduled. To obtain more information and recommendations, it is best to consult one or more board-certified plastic surgeons. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS.

Emmanuel Mallol Cotes, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. To provide a valid medical opinion I will need to see pictures of you body from different angles. I would suggest to be treated by board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this procedure, to get the best desired results.

Respectfully,
Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

Respectfully,
Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

Stefan Mark Szczerba, MD · Answer

Yes but please go to a board certified plastic surgeon familiar with BBL's and hernias.  You can really stay out of trouble and get great results but you need someone who knows how to stay safe.  Best Wishes!!

Andre P. Marshall, MD · Answer

Hi kcoss_, 
If you have any underling anatomical abnormalities such as a lumbar hernia it is best to get this treated and resolved prior to liposuction and BBL. A hernia is an abnormal opening. During liposuction the instruments used to remove fat could enter into this opening and cause a life threatening injury. So it is important to have this repaired well in advance of any elective aesthetic surgery on that part of your body. 
Dr. Andre P. MarshallDouble Board Certified Plastic SurgeonBeverly Hills, CA 90210

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear kcoss_,
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

Cagil Meric Erenoglu, MD · Answer

Hi, kcoss_ ! Thank you for your question.
You can have a BBL without involving your lumbar hernia area. You can have other body areas like abdomen, back or legs (if available). It is important to avoid left lumbar area for fat harvest.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Having a lumbar hernia could be a contraindication to doing liposuction of that part of the torso.
It depends on the extent of the hernia and if potentially important structures are protruding through that could be injured by the liposuction cannula.Each plastic surgeon will have their own view and level of comfort and someone with a very large lumbar hernia would not be a good candidate while someone were a very small one might do just fine.
To get an accurate assessment, better understanding of the procedure and learn each surgeons opinion about the appropriateness of doing the procedure I recommend scheduling multiple in person consultations.
Delivering consistent high-quality liposuction and fat transfer results is more difficult than most people believe in this is true for both patients and plastic surgeons. Most plastic surgeons think they are better at liposuction than they actually are. Liposuction and fat transfer has more variance or difference in outcome purely based on who does the procedure than any other surgical procedure I’ve ever seen. Being board-certified in plastic surgery with an overall good reputation is not sufficient to guarantee that somebody has mastered body contouring with liposuction and fat transfer. Personally I view the torso as a single anatomic unit and either treated the entire torso or don’t do Liposuction. There are of course exceptions but for the most part I believe in treating the entire torso. A full torso includes upper abdomen, lower abdomen, love handles all the way down to the hip dips, waist, the entire back and under arm area all the way to the side of the breast. this leaves people with a natural thin fat distribution without transition zones between treated and entrteded areas. I’ve viewed the BBL as an enhancement to body contouring creating an ideal feminine S-curve that goes from the armpit to the knee. I did not emphasize a large buttocks with liposuction of the outer thigh creating a big round butt on the small leg which I sometimes called the “lollipop look”. Instead I emphasize long smooth harmonious curves creating a slightly hyper feminized balanced figure. To find the most talented and experienced provider in your community I suggest having multiple in person consultations. I do not recommend patients travel for elective surgical procedures and I recommend patients whenever possible avoid virtual consultations. During in person consultations ask each provider to show their entire collection of before and after pictures of BBL results. Always confirm that after pictures were taken at least three months from the time of surgery. anybody who shows early postoperative pictures such as pictures with patients still showing surgical drawings on them, being in the operating room or any evidence of recently having had surgery should be immediately discounted as showing “.fake news”. Early fat transfer results can look very impressive but do not at all represent final results. Ask the provider to show you examples of excellent outcomes, average outcomes and less than outcomes. Specifically ask each provider to show as many pictures as possible‘s of patients who have similar body characteristics to your own. An experienced provider should have no difficulty showing you a minimum of 50+ sets of before and after pictures. Simply seeing a handful of pre-selected sample pictures which in reality most likely represent the best results of that providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like for that provider. Highly experienced providers will have hundreds or even thousands of before and after pictures and should be willing to give you access during the consultation to see as many pictures as possible. If somebody claims to of done a lot of surgery but doesn’t have a lot of before and after pictures then you should ask yourself why? Do not commit to surgery or pay a down payment during the time of consultation until you’ve finished all your consultations and have given yourself plenty of time to think about your decision. The results from these procedures are permanent and irreversible. When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations. Finally I recommend patients read all reviews on all various physician review websites avoiding providers for any significant number of justified negative reviews. The absence of justified negative reviews is more important and more telling and having an abundance of positive reviews. Plastic surgeons with the biggest social media profiles are not necessarily any more talented than those who have no websites at all. Famous or likable does not equal talented. Find the right plastic surgeon and everything falls into place. 
Good luck, 
Mats Hagstrom MD