Will the skin on my flanks retract from liposuction? (photos)

The honest truth about your flanks.

After you have had a massive weight loss it’s clear that the skin on your tummy and your abdomen is going to be loose and saggy and absolutely needs to be touched.

However many times the tissues of the flagnk are misdiagnosed and both patients and doctors think that it’s only fat but it’s actually excess skin that has been stretched out because I have a muffin top from an additional 20 kg or 40 pounds.

The mistake is for the doctor and the patient to think if you suck out more faster than that one through the contour.

Unlike women, men will gladly trade and amazing results with a torso that looks like a 20 something-year-old for the incisions that are below their speedo line anyway.

It is a mistake to think that you can achieve this without punching out the excess skin on the love handles.

Just make sure that you look at the website of the surgeon to understand the techniques and make sure that they have as many before and Afters as possible for a 270 torso talk to be able to get the results that you want.

Good luck.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for your question.  Patients do typically get some skin retraction on the flank area and it will help contour the area as well.  It is not uncommon to need additional liposuction after a tummy tuck though because the surgeon can't be too aggressive to the area at the time of a tummy tuck.  I would address your concerns with your surgeon.  Best of luck to you. 

Thanks for your question. You appear to be a good candidate for liposuction to optimize your overall shape. The ideal liposuction candidate has localized fat deposits and quality overlying skin without significant excess skin or skin damage.  Fat can then be removed to strategically sculpt the body and accentuate your figure.  The skin then retracts over the new shape to give the final result.That said, you definitely have to choose your surgeon correctly and make sure that he/she has the training and experience to meet your goals with absolute safety.  A key quality indicator is Board Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  Don’t settle for less than a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with specialized expertise in this procedure.

Based on your photos and the fact that you are having a TT, abs and flank lipo, the skin on your flanks should retract. Wear your compression garment as specified by your board certified PS.Kenneth Hughes, MD, ABPS Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Los Angeles, CA

Thank you for your question. Based on your photos you will achieve your body goal with a full tummy tuck combined with intense liposuction including abdomen, waist, laterals and upper and lower back to improve your body contour and get better curves, especially in your waist area.
Kind regards,Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

rolu123 I appreciate your angst, however physical examination will be needed to confirm my following advice. It appears from your photographs that liposuction of your flanks alone combined with your tummy tuck should be all you need. If there is any doubt with regard to the elasticity of the skin of your flank region, the incision from the tummy tuck can be extended laterally on either side to remove extra redundant skin. Discuss your concerns with your board-certified plastic surgeon. good luck!

You'll have some improvement in your flanks (mostly over your posterior flanks). You don't have terribly fatty flanks so the improvement will be modest. Don't over think it. Be sure to wear your compression as directed and don't over exert yourself in the weeks after surgery. Good luck.Sorry, had to laugh at the editing.

Hello dear!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well.
Based on your pictures, you are a good candidate for standard liposuction, to improve your abdomen, waist and flanks. It does not appear you have much loose skin, so you should expect good results.
In general, you need to be physically healthy and at a stable weight, have realistic expectations, be a non-smoker and your BMI needs to be 30 or less.
l recommend you to make an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon to talk about your goals and anything you need to know.
Good luck :)

my experience has been that the skin does not retract well and the love handles on men. Instead it tends to fall and fold over the beltline.  That area behaves differently on women. I believe the primary difference is the shape of the pelvis in comparison with the chest and torso.  Women have a wide pelvis that allows the area to form a concave contour from liposuction. In men the pelvis is small in relationship to the chest and the skin has a tendency to contour outwards.  My suggestion is to ask the surgeon it to extend the scar as far around the sides as possible to get skin tightening in this area as well. The difference between a hip to hip scar versus one the wraps around onto the back it's basically nothing.  The problem is the contrast becomes really accentuated as the abdomen becomes super flat and tight. This makes that problem area seem 10 times worse.  If the scar  is placed correctly and given enough time to heal it is in my opinion much better to have a long scar and a correct balanced contour in every area.  Different plastic surgeons have a different opinions on this. I think it's worthwhile to turn the patient and finish the job and go onto the backside at least partially.  I've done all different versions of this including taking off some of that skin in the office.  It's difficult to turn a patient to lay face down in the operating room. They anesthesiologist don't like it and it usually takes six people to turn a patient. The process of turning a patient can take 20 minutes.  If you find the right plastic surgeon everything will fall into place.  My practice is devoted exclusively to liposuction and fat transfer procedures. Are used to do many many tummy tucks in the past but now I don't do those anymore.  I've done over 7000 liposuction procedures and I've seen the difference in outcomes among different people. Results are very predictable once you have enough experience.  Best, Mats Hagstrom MD