Will Liposuction Get Rid Of My Lower Belly Pouch?

Q: I am a 52 year old female that weighs 127 pounds. Several years ago I was down to 117 pounds and the lower belly pouch didn’t get much better. At that time I was exercising 4 days a week and doing everything I could to lose that belly. This seems to be a family trait as both my mom and her sisters had it. Do you think liposuction can remove this lower belly pouch?

A: There is no question, even without seeing most patients, that the description of a lower belly pouch signifies that they have some excess fat there. So the use of liposuction for abdominal fat reduction is going to be useful. Whether liposuction would be of benefit, therefore, is not really in question. The issue is how much lower abdominal skin do you have and what will happen to it when the lower belly is deflated so to speak. In other words, do you need some type of a tummy tuck with the liposuction? The aesthetic outcome of liposuction is predicated, partially, on how well the skin contracts down once there is less volume. If there are a lot of stretch marks and you can pinch  more than an inch or two of skin, then it is likely than some skin removal (mini-tummy tuck) may be helpful also. If there is a question as to whether skin removal is really needed, you can always do the liposuction first and let that outcome make that decision for you. I would use Smartlipo (laser liposuction) for your abdominal liposuction as that has the best chance of shrinking down the skin you have the best.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana