What risks do I face for touch up liposuction of abdomen under local anesthesia following extended tummy tuck? Is it worth it?

Liposuction is very safe to do under both general anesthesia and local anesthesia, provided that the surgeon is competent and trained to do the procedure.  Most of the time surgeons will wait at least six months before doing this however.  I have performed liposuction of the central abdomen under local anesthesia many times after a tummy tuck procedure.  The bloodflow to heal your lower incision after a tummy tuck procedure flows through the central abdomen. It is much safer to stage any aggressive liposuction in this area from a wound healing standpoint. It sounds like your surgeon is quite reasonable with his or her plan.  Liposuction of an isolated area under local anesthesia is much less invasive than the tummy tuck procedure that you have already been through.   

The risk of liposuction is low.  I would do it under general anesthesia because better outcomes can be achieved and its more comfortable.

Very common to have liposuction performed during a plastic surgery procedure. I often recommend this to my patients. Best of luck.

Liposuction is a very powerful technique in the right hands, and can have dramatic results in a variety of areas and a in a variety of patients. That said, 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 a]strategically sculpt the body and accentuate feminine curves. 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.

Liposuction under local is often possible to revise small area or even do larger ares in the right patient. Best of luck.

As long as your surgeon knows what he is doing there should be no risk with this kind of surgery.  Whether it is worth it, only you get to decide. 

There are two parts to your question:1. Yes liposuction can be done after tummy tuck under local anesthesia.2. Will liposuction take care of the pooch?The second question can only be answered in person to make sure there is actual fat there and not looseness of the muscle or a bunching of the tissue above the scar.  Best wishes.

Thank you for your question. It is safe to do lipo after TT under local. Usually wait for 6 months. In my practice most of liposuctions done under local anesthesia. Good Luck

Hi, there.Liposuction can be performed safely both under local and general anesthesia.  With local anesthesia, you may feel pain and be aware of your surroundings.  I prefer general anesthesia.  Please review pros and cons of both anesthesia types with your plastic surgeon.Best regards.

Dear foreveryoung908,

Thank you for your clinical post. It’s very common after abdominoplasty or
extended abdominoplasty to have a residual fat above the incision line. This fat is usually easily accessible and
correctable by performing various forms of liposuction under local
anesthesia. It can be done with a laser,
which is called SmartLipo or an ultrasound device called Vaser Lipo or even
radio frequency current called BodyTite.
Regardless of the type of liposuction performed local anesthetic is
easily administered. The procedure is
usually extremely comfortable and extremely safe. This is commonly performed after liposuction,
as it is unsafe usually to perform aggressive liposuction at the time of a
tummy tuck especially on the front of the tummy wall.

I think you’re in great hands if you trust your physician for
a tummy tuck and that healed well, you should certainly trust your physician
for small zone liposuction reduction.
The risk of small zone liposuction are far less than those you underwent
with an extended tummy tuck and it sounds as though that went well.

I’m sure you’ll get an excellent result. Outline your concerns thoroughly with your
plastic surgeon and I’m sure you’ll get the aesthetic contour you desire.

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto