Is it dangerous to lipo a little bit of the upper abdomen when doing a tummy tuck?

Performing liposuction to the upper abdomen at the time of a tummy tuck does add risks to the surgery. The safest approach is to stage the procedures and have the liposuction done at a later date. Most patients would prefer to have only one operation, so many surgeons will combine the procedures. By being conservative in the liposuction and careful and meticulous during the tummy tuck, for many patients this can be a safe procedure.

I routinely perform liposuction on greater than 90% of my tummy tuck patients. It is safe to do so long as the surgeon is appropriately trained and certified.

Liposuction of the upper abdomen is typically avoided during a tummy tuck due to concerns of the blood supply to the healing abdomen being interrupted. This could lead to necrosis, poor wound healing, and wound issues. Liposuction of the hips/flanks area is safe and is often combined with a tummy tuck.