Liposuction Irregularities

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a question about liposuction irregularities.  i had liposuction 1one year ago to abdomen, then liposuction to flanks and low back. he second liposuction was done three months ago and has left me with irregularities and lumpiness, I suspect due to over aggressive treatment…can you help me? I am in great shape, muscular, thin and healthy, no meds.

A: Some modest irregularities after liposuction are common based on the quality of one’s skin before the procedure and how agres. But if they are significant they often occur in thinner patients where more aggressive liposuction has been done in an effort to maximize the contouring effect on an already thin subcutaneous fat layer. Once this has occurred it is a very difficult problem to improve as further cannula releases and smoothing efforts often will fail or at best produce a very modest improvement. Ideally the best improvement for liposuction rregularities comes from subcutaneous releases and fat grafting but this is both counterproductive to the original procedure and such patients often have no fat to harvest to do so. I would need to see pictures of the liposuction areas to provide a more qualified answer.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana