Dear Dr. Seckel, I had liposuction surgery of my abdomen and had difficult recovery. I now have bumps or lumps and some depressions in the skin of my tummy. My surgeon says they are contour deformities and are a normal risk of liposuction. I have read that laser liposuction leaves the skin smoother. Can anything be done to remove the bumps and smooth the skin after liposuction? Thank You, Mary Beth, Riverside, California.
Dear Mary Beth,
I am sorry to hear of your difficult recovery after liposuction. Skin irregularities-lumps, bumps, and depressions are common risks of liposuction and are very distressing. I would have to examine you to tell if anything can be done to improve the liposuction contour deformities.
The laser liposuction, in my experience, does tend to leave smoother skin after liposuction. I believe it is because the tiny laser fiber dissolves or melts the fat before we suction. Thus the liquefied fat is removed with a much smaller suction tube called a cannula.
This is very different from standard liposuction in which the fat is simply pulled out in pieces. Like ultrasonic liposuction, liquefying the fat first results in easier fat removal. In addition, the laser liposuction also tightens skin as the fat is liquefied, another significant advantage. Often in standard liposuction, some skin irregularities are caused by skin that failed to tighten after the fat was removed. These are common complications of liposuction.
I have had two patients who had the liposuction complications you write about. Both had lumps or bumps on the tummy after liposuction. I was able to use the laser liposuction technique to remove the bumps and smooth the skin in these cases.
In the photos below on the left, before laser liposuction the lumpy areas are circled with a purple marker. The right side is 3 months after the laser liposuction.
What is helpful about the laser liposuction technique is that the laser light is seen through the skin. Thus the treatment is essentially laser guided liposuction. The laser is turned on only when the tip is in the area of the lump or bump. Thus the high areas of the abdominal skin can be lowered to match the depressed areas.
Another technique that can be used for depressions or divots in the skin after liposuction is fat injection. Fat can be harvested from another area and injected to fill the depression.
I hope this information helps. For more information on laser assisted liposuction click here.
Dr Seckel
Concord, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts