Why Is My Skin Not Quite As Tight After My Abdominal Liposuction Procedure?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am 30 years old and have had one child. Last year, I had liposuction to get rid of some ugly fat deposits on my stomach and thighs. It turned out very well and I am overall very pleased with the contour reduction of the treated areas. But I have noticed a little loose skin on my stmach and there are a few small uneven areas. My skin doesn’t look quite as tight as it did before the procedure.  Is this normal? Is there anything that can be done to help tighten and smooth out the skin any further?

A: It is very common after liposuction to have less than perfectly smooth skin. That is often the trade-off for the volume reduction. Simply put, when you have less fat you need a little less skin. That accounts for what you perceive as skin that is just not as tight as before.  This particularly occurs in the abdominal region in women who have lost a little skin elasticity after pregnancy. There certainly is no harm in trying any of the numerous skin tightening devices that are available, such as  Exilis. The only question will be how effective it may be.

In addition, liposuction is about fat removal but it is a blind procedure. There is no way for the treating doctor to see what they are removing and how even that removal is underneath the skin. This is the art form of liposuction and it takes a lot of experience and attention to detail to get the smoothest result possible. Eventually the healing will reveal how close to even that fat removal was.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana