Liposuction revision surgery, sometimes called liposuction correction or liposhifting, is a plastic surgery procedure that strategically removes or adds fat, to improve on the results of a previous procedure.
Revision lipo can enhance a result that once looked great but has changed over time (weight gain or loss), or it can correct complications from a previous liposuction procedure, including asymmetry, indentations, or other contour irregularities.
A revision procedure can usually be performed on any area of the body that was previously treated with liposuction, but “it is most often done on the abdomen and inner and outer thighs because the skin is thin or stretched out,” says Dr. Allen Gabriel, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Vancouver, Washington.
Lipo complications and unmet expectations are two reasons patients commonly seek a secondary liposuction procedure. Patients may need secondary liposuction if their previous surgeon was inexperienced, but irregularities and other issues can also just be a result of the way a person heals. Age-related or weight changes can also contribute.
Related: Liposuction Gone Wrong: 6 Signs of Bad Work and How to Fix Them
“Contour irregularities almost always result from over liposuction or removing too much fat, too close to the skin’s surface. Good liposuction is always subtle, with great care to avoid taking too much fat,” says Dr. John Burns, a board-certified plastic surgeon and president of the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute.
If you’re unhappy with your liposuction results, it’s best to wait up to a year to revise the area, says Dr. Joel Beck, a plastic surgeon in Matthews, North Carolina. “During this time, the scar tissue typically softens, which allows the [revision] surgeon to better break up the scar tissue and improve the irregularity.”
Related: The Lipo Risk No One Talks About (and a Surefire Way to Minimize It)
