Will liposuction in the flanks help remove lower back fat and minimize the appearance of hip dips? (photos)

Question

Looking to have lipo on my flanks area, can someone advise if this is the best area for me? Looking to remove lower back fat and reduce the look of hip dips.

Giuseppe Fiore, MD · Answer

Hi, 
Thanks for your question and photos. 
Based of the pictures provided, in my opinion you are good candidate for Vaser liposuction on flanks/Lower back. 
Liposuction on these areas can be an effective approach to target lower back fat and help minimize the appearance of hip dips and create a smoother contour along the waistline, which may help improve the appearance of hip dips. The ideal should be also to perform fat transfer on the hip area to give hourglass shape. 
In my clinical practice, I use Vaser liposuction to remove the fat but also create body contouring, improve the waistline and shape and middle to high definition Vaser ( if the patient is a good candidate for this). My preferred method involves circumferential body Vaser liposuction (360-degree approach) and Renuvion/J plasma or Bodytite/Morpheus 8 which is an excellent option for women or men who want to improve their body contour and silhouette and tighten the skin. I would suggest making an appointment with a surgeon expert in body contouring who can assess your specific situation and recommend the best course of treatment for you. They can also discuss any potential risks and benefits associated with the procedure. 
Hope this helps, 
All the best, Dr Giuseppe Fiore

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question regarding if liposuction of the flanks will help remove lower back fat and minimize the appearance of hip dips. Liposuction of the flank area and lower back will help you achieve a more shapely figure. It will not improve your hip dips. I recommend doing liposuction of the lower back and flanks with fat transfer to your hips. This will give you the hourglass figure that you are looking to achieve. Additionally, you can get VASER Hi-Def liposuction of the abdomen for a more sculpted look. You can even achieve a six-pack if you wish. I hope this helps answer your question regarding whether liposuction of the flanks and lower back will help minimize the appearance of hip dips.

Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. (“Verified” Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, and International College of Surgery and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)

Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. (“Verified” Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, and International College of Surgery and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)

Jerimiah Mason, MD · Answer

You could remove a little fat with liposuction from your lower back and flanks, and it might make hip dips a little less noticeable. If you don't like your hip dips I would ask the surgeon to just transfer the fat from your back and flanks to fill those areas in.

Navjot Singh, MD, FACG · Answer

Thank you for your question. Liposuction will not help correct hip dips. Flank liposuction will help improve the shape of your back and overall body. To correct or minimize hip dips, a BBL (fat transfer) or non-surgical BBL would be required. In your case, I think you would benefit from a non-surgical BBL with Sculptra of Bellafill

Philip Conrardy, MD · Answer

Liposuction will not minimize the appearance of hip dips but depending on the areas of your wants, this procedure can help remove fat from the lower back.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

To develop a smooth continuous S-curve of your torso the easiest way is to reduce the love handles starting at the top of the hip dip.
This is far easier and will be more successful than grafting fat into the hip dip itself unless your desire is to augment your bottom.
I typically view the torso as a single anatomic unit and recommend doing liposuction of the entire torso to leave people with a natural even thin fat distribution that’s consistent without transition zones between treated and untreated areas. to get an impressive result Liposuction should be done with an accurate but heavy hand.This creates enough change that transition zones will look awkward unless the adjacent areas are treated as well.
Different plastic surgeons have very different views on this.
I’m only going by my experience having specialized exclusively in Liposuction for over a decade.
Delivering consistent quality liposuction results is more difficult than most people believe. And substantial number of well intended well trained board-certified plastic surgeons with overall good reputations lack the ability to deliver a consistent quality liposuction results.
This procedure is unfortunately seen as simplistic by too many providers.
Liposuction has more variation based purely on who does the operation then any other plastic surgery procedure I’ve ever seen.
Liposuction results are permanent and irreversible.
When done poorly patients can be left disfigured and correcting the outcomes can be difficult or sometimes not possible.
I cannot stress enough the importance of choosing the best provider for this operation.
I suggest patience to do that but first getting familiar with what quality liposuction results should look like by looking at lots of before and after pictures.
Start by printing out pictures of your own torso take them the same way plastic surgeons take before and after pictures. your pictures are reasonably good but they should include your body from your neck to your knees. The ideal female S-curve continues down The thigh all the way to the knee.
Our approach to contouring the torso is highly influenced by what you look like below your waist.
Create a rating system for quality results making sure your focus only on the before and after pictures of other individuals who have similar body characteristics to your own.
There’s no point in comparing results of patients who have different body characteristics than your own.
Next make a list of plastic surgeons in your community but seem to have a substantial number of high-quality before and after pictures of Liposuction results on their websites.
Schedule exclusively in person consultations avoiding virtual consultations whenever possible.
I recommend people avoid traveling long distances for elective surgical procedures.
During each consultation bring pictures of your own body with you and use those for reference.
Ask each provider to open up their entire portfolio of the before and after pictures and ask them to show you as many pictures as possible of previous patients who had very similar body characteristics to your own.
Ask them to show you examples of outcomes that are above average, average and results that didn’t turn out as well as they had hoped for.
We all have a variety of outcomes and it’s fair game for patients to ask to see different types of outcomes and a sufficient number of before and after pictures to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider.
Being shown a handful of preselected images most likely representing the best results of a provider‘s career is totally insufficient to get a clear understanding of an average results look like or how many of these procedures anyone in provider has actually performed.
For reference and experience provider should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 Satz of before and after pictures of other patients with similar body characteristics to your own.
Look very carefully and take your time when reviewing before and after pictures. Ask the provider to point out exactly what areas were treated and what areas were not treated. Look very carefully for any evidence of contour irregularities and treated areas. Likewise look very carefully a transition zone between treated and untreated areas.
There should be no evidence of having had a surgical procedure.
Good results should look like someone was born with a perfect contour to start with.
Take notes during the consultation reading each set of before and after pictures including the number of before and after pictures each provider has available to show you.
Providers who fail to show you in a significant number of quality before and after pictures or fail to show you pictures of other patients with very similar body characteristics than your own should be a major red flag.
A sufficiently experienced and talented provider should have no difficulty showing lots of examples of other patients who look almost identical to you with quality before and after picture results.
There’s no correct number of consultations patients need to find the right provider. The more consultations you schedule the better your chances of finding the best provider.
I recommend starting with a minimum of five consultations and consider scheduling many more if needed.
I cannot stress enough how different results are based on who you go to and this includes providers with lots of certificates, publications, good reviews and board certifications.
You’ll know when you’re in the hands of the right provider. 
When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.
Based on your pictures you’re an excellent candidate for Liposuction.
 In the end there are only two variables that determine Liposuction results. They are probably in the end equally as important. The two variables are patient candidacy and provider selection.
Patients can for the most part not change their own candidacy but have full control over who does the procedure.
Be more selective than you think you need to be.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD

Randy Dean, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Hi and welcome to our forum!
From your photos, I note only minimal abdominal soft tissue fullness and minimal-moderate flank / hip fullness, creating the hip dip appearance. You appear to be an excellent candidate for liposuction. 
Visit a board certified plastic surgeon with considerable experience and allow him / her to use the instrument with which they feel most comfortable. 
Best wishes...

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