Is Skin Elasticity Important with Liposuction?

In general, younger patients achieve a better skin appearance than older people after a liposuction surgery because their tissue is more elastic, allowing it to retract after the fatty tissues are removed.  Nevertheless, the age per se is really not the factor that affects the final outcome of the procedure.

Aside from older patients, those who had experienced significant weight gain often have poor skin quality; this is not surprising as their tissue has been stretched to its limit.  These people usually have visible stretch marks which come in purplish, whitish, or reddish color.

Stretch marks are a clear indication of poor skin quality; for this reason, massive weight loss patients will not achieve the same result enjoyed by people who have maintained normal weight throughout their lives.

However, it does not mean that massive weight loss patients cannot have liposuction surgery.  In fact, it is often used as a complementary procedure to thigh lift, arm lift, lower body lift, and extensive tummytuck, allowing plastic surgeons to perform “debulking” to help their patients achieve a more natural body contour.

Patients with poor skin quality may develop some wrinkling particularly in the upper abdomen and inner thighs.  The “crepe” appearance somewhat resembles the skin of a patient who has lost the excess fats through exercise and healthy diet.

But surprisingly, the lower abdomen is not prone to wrinkling after liposuction.  This is probably due to the structure of the tissue that allows the area to easily retract after the fats have been removed.

Meanwhile, there are some plastic surgery ads that promise to remove cellulites through liposuction.  Patients should bear mind that these are just a media hype; in fact, the procedure is known to aggravate the problem, even with the use of laser liposuction.

While laser liposuction—which uses heat to destroy and liquefy the fats to pave way for their easier extraction—can cause the skin to slightly retract, it cannot totally repair cellulites which commonly occurs in the legs and buttocks.

Fortunately, certain procedures can address cellulites, in case that they appear after liposuction.  The most popular one is the Mesotherapy, which is an effective procedure as long as the patients will complete their 10 to 25 sessions.

While skin irregularities are really a concern particularly with those with poor skin quality, plastic surgeons have found ways to reduce their risk.  One of the techniques includes the use of micro-cannulas instead of large suctioning probes.

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Life After Liposuction Surgery

While liposuction surgery aims to remove the excess fats underneath the skin, it should never be seen as promising substitute to weight loss.  In fact, a good plastic surgeon would not perform the procedure if a patient is not willing to stick to a healthy lifestyle which include moderate diet and regular exercise.

In a 2004 study, researchers found that liposuction patients are three times more likely to gain weight if they would not follow a healthy diet; they are also four times more susceptible to weight fluctuation than average individuals if they fail to exercise regularly. 

However, the good news is that the result of liposuction can last a lifetime as long as the patients will live a healthy lifestyle.  In fact, the study has suggested that patients who follow a moderate diet are twice more likely to lose weight than average people.

The finding clearly shows what many plastic surgeons have always been telling their patients: liposuction is a not a quick fix for weight loss.  To put it safely, this cosmetic surgery should only be seen as an adjunct to healthy diet and regular exercise.

The study, which involved 209 patients who had liposuction between 1999 and 2003, has focused on the respondents’ lifestyle habits, satisfaction with the final result, and treated areas.  Meanwhile, most of them had the procedure more than two years before the survey.

About 43 percent of the respondents reported gaining weight after liposuction, with most of them experiencing weight gain between 5 and 10 pounds.  Majority of these patients or 90 percent of them did not stick to regular exercise.

About 78 percent of the respondents who gained weight were also found to have unhealthy diet.

By contrast, about 57 percent who did not gain weight said they increased their exercise duration while 50 percent said they were eating a healthier diet after their liposuction surgery.

Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure that falls under the category of body contouring; this simply means that overweight and obese patients, and people who are experiencing weight fluctuations cannot enjoy its benefits.  In fact, repeating lipo in the same area is not generally recommended because it can lead to higher risk of skin irregularities, sagging, and other aesthetic problems.

Liposuction is primarily intended to reshape the body areas which do not respond to diet and exercise.  These “problematic areas” are usually the abdomen, flanks, hips, male breasts, upper arms, and thighs.

Brazilian Butt Lift with Fat Grafting on Hips

During the previous years, the only way to augment the buttocks was to use a solid silicone implant, which does not pose risk of leak unlike the one used in   .

But after plastic surgeons have found ways to increase the survival rate of the grafted fats, using these tissues to augment the buttocks has become possible.  The procedure, which is called the Brazilian butt lift, is increasingly becoming popular in the US and other parts of the world.

However, many women with small, deflated-looking buttocks also have narrow hips which look disproportional to the body especially for those with a wide chest or large breasts.  For these patients, targeting only the derriere and leaving the hip untreated may not provide the best result.

It is important to note that injecting fats to the narrow hips and small buttocks will likely result to the much coveted figure in a woman—the hourglass.  But unfortunately, treating these two areas with fat grafting may be challenging or sometimes even impossible due to the limited amount of excess fats.

During a fat grafting procedure, plastic surgeons conduct a liposuction surgery to remove the fatty deposits from the donor site—it can be the abdomen, thighs, flanks, hips, upper arms, and other areas abundant with these tissues.  

But after liposuction, the collected fats are not immediately injected to the body as doing so can result to temporary result as they are just reabsorbed by the surrounding tissue.  To prevent this from happening, these are subjected to a purification method that separates the blood, connective tissue, and other impurities from the fatty cells.

However, a 500cc of liposuctioned fats can only provide about 60cc to 50cc of purified fats, making it challenging to augment both the hips and buttocks at the same time.

Nonetheless, the amount of excess fats from the body can still determine the possibility of treating both the hips and buttocks.  This approach is achievable for patients with a large abdominal area and narrow hips that almost result to a “barrel-shaped” figure.

While injecting fats to the narrow hips is not a well-prescribed procedure, a handful of plastic surgeons have successfully performed this on their patients.

To treat female patients with a “barrel-shaped” figure, cosmetic surgeons liposuction the abdominal area to remove the fats.  The procedure alone can significantly define the waistline and make the hips appear less narrow.

The collected fats, which are purified to increase their survival rate to at least 65 percent, are injected to the buttocks; any leftover fat is then introduced into the narrow hips to make it wider and appear proportional to the body.