Will my skin stay so loose after Liposuction?

Question

Hello Doctors, I had microaire power assisted Lipo using a tumescent technique done on August 6th. I still feel heavier but what is concerning me the most is the lose skin I have around my midsection. I feel my tummy looks worse then when I started. The doctor took out 750cc. I had stubborn fat, and was close to my ideal weight before the surgery. My doctor did a great job, I am just concerned that this is a permanent thing. Should my skin tight up?

Mathew A. Plant, MD, FRCSC · Answer

Thanks for your question. While there may be some residual swelling still at this point, at 6 weeks out from your liposuction you have probably seen the majority of the skin tightening you will get. Liposuction in general addresses excess fat, but does not particularly result in skin tightening and can actually lead to excess and hanging skin due to loss of support from the fat that has been removed. Although some advanced liposuction techniques such as ultrasonic, laser assisted and radio frequency assisted liposuctions make claims to tighten the skin, and certainly do so better than regular liposuction or PAL, many of us would be hesitant to tell our patients to expect much from these. If you had 750cc of actual fat aspirated (vs. fat with tumescent solution) from your anterior abdomen alone then chances are you may have benefitted from a tummy tuck rather than liposuction. It is difficult to tell without photographs or a consultation however.If you are unhappy with your results you should definitely speak with your surgeon

Ira H. Rex III, MD · Answer

Liposuction almost always leads to some skin looseness. Some estimation whether this will be a problem are not can be made preoperatively by considering the quality of the skin, the amount of fat removed, and other factors. The abdomen sometimes can be unkind concerning its ability to tighten, especially after weight loss or childbearing. Also, the umbilicus can interfere with redraping of the skin and lead to perceived fullness superior to this.

David Finkle, MD · Answer

Liposuction is the suction removal of subcutaneous fat.  Subcutaneous fat is located just below the surface of the skin and above the muscles and bones.  It doesn't remove all of the fat, but it does remove the majority of the fat.  The perfect candidate is at or near their ideal body weight and has localized areas of fat that are out of proportion to the rest of the body.  It is not a weight reduction technique.  It can be used on any area of the body, but it relies on the skin redraping after the fat is removed.  So, if you have loose skin, you may end up with wrinkles or folds after the surgery.  Some areas respond better to liposuction than others, the lateral thighs always look nice, the inner thighs and arms, not so much.  The tummy depends on how loose the skin was to begin with.  It does not remove or improve stretch marks.  There are many different terms used for liposuction:Tumescent liposuctionPower liposuctionLaser liposuctionVaser liposuctionSmart liposuctionUltrasonic liposuctionAnd many, many more.  All these techniques vary a little, but the bottom line is that the fat is removed by high powered suction.  A small tube or cannula with multiple holes at the end is hooked to a suction device.  The cannula is moved rapidly back and forth to remove the fat through very small incisions in the skin.  All blood vessels, nerves, muscle, bone and skin is left alone, just the fat is removed.  Large amounts of fluid are placed in the subcutaneous fat before the suction begins to reduce bleeding and to numb the skin, this fluid is referred to as tumescent fluid and consists of a balanced salt solution mixed with adrenalin and a local anesthetic.  There are 3 choices of anesthesia:Local anesthesia (the patient is awake)Local with sedation (the patient is given a mild sedation)General anesthetic (the patient is asleep)The choice is based upon an agreement between the patient and the surgeon.  Make sure you consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who operates in a nationally accredited surgery center and offers board certified anesthesia.  If the price you are quoted seems abnormally low, please do your research and find out why, you do not want to be surprised the day of your surgery!Liposuction can be combined with many other procedures; tummy tuck, breast reduction, thigh lift, arm lift, neck lift and is an essential part of a Brazilian Butt lift (this is where the fat comes from!)  All of my patients are treated post operatively with a compression garment that is worn for 2 weeks and 5 Endermologie sessions that start 3-4 weeks after the procedure.  Endermologie is a non surgical massage technique that helps to smooth out the results of the surgery to help prevent wrinkling and rippling of the skin.Liposuction is not a very painful procedure and recovery is usually quick.  Most people are back to work in 3-5 days and back to vigorous exercise in 2 weeks.  Of course, if more areas are treated, there will be more pain post operatively and a longer recovery.  I was back to work 3 days after my abdominal liposuction and no one knew any better!The cost varies not only from city to city, but from patient to patient.  The more areas that are treated, the higher the cost.  In the midwest, typical liposuction prices varies from $3,000-6,000 total.

Joel B. Singer, MD · Answer

By removing 750cc of fat, you now have some empty space in your belly where the fat used to be. The skin ideally should come in to some degree to fill that empty space. However, if you have had pregnancies or weight fluctuations in the past, your skin elasticity may not be that great and the skin won't come in all the way.You will probably get some further skin contraction to a certain degree, but it likely won't be significantly different than it is now (maybe another 15-30% improvement may still be coming). Wear the compression garment as best you can and hope that the skin elasticity will allow your skin to contract as much as possible. If that doesn't work, you may need a full tummy tuck or mini tummy tuck.Good Luck

Bruce E. Katz, MD · Answer

Smartlipo is a minimally invasive procedure that
will remove unwanted fat deposits while tightening the skin. While you are
healing you will wear a compression garment to help with any swelling that may
occur. Give yourself time to heal before seeing your final results. Good luck!

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Developing skin laxity is always a concern when performing liposuction.Patients are especially at risk if they have some loose skin to start with prior to the procedure.Also, if the liposuction is done aggressively to get a dramatic result, the skin can be compromised more.Follow up with your plastic surgeon to see what his or her thoughts are.It's always nice if these discussions are held prior to the procedure.Best of luck,Mats Hagstrom, M.D.

Will my skin stay so loose after Liposuction?

Answers (6)

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