Liposuction removes fat from under the skin. When we do liposuction, frequently we use energy to help us: ultrasonic, UAL, laser, smart lipo, slim lipo. Sometimes we use just traditional cannulas. Regardless, we are mechanically removing fat, and when we do so we create inflammation and scars.
Scarring is not all bad. Some of the tightening you see in the skin following liposuction is thought to be due to scar which forms internally under the skin surface.
But some of the reaction can cause the skin to feel puckered, leathery, and firm. (This is not referring to uneven fat removal.) Certain areas of the body tend to do this more than others. Common sites are the flank and upper abdomen.
What can you do if you see this?
- This is common. Many people have varying degrees of this. Every body reacts differently to the stress of surgery. Fat is not exactly the same in all people. Some people’s bodies have soft fat which comes out easily. It is as if their body is saying “take me! we want to go!” For others, their fat is fibrous and more difficult to remove. Every body has a different amount of inflammation which occurs after surgery. Different areas of the body react differently.
- Men tend to have more fibrous tissue after liposuction.
- The fibrous, hard feeling will improve with time. Your body actively forms scars for the first month. It will remodel and soften the scar with time, but remodeling doesn’t tend to come into force until you are 3 months out. For some patients this fibrous feeling may last for many months. For rare cases it can last years.
- You can help accelerate the softening with massage, stretching, and eventually exercise. This is something to discuss with your doctor, as all patients are different. If you are still swollen and bruised, this may not be appropriate yet.
- Compression garments help. When you are done with surgery you wear garments to help decrease the amount of post surgical swelling and bruise. After 2 weeks, most bruising is gone. It is good to continue to wear garments longer to help with the swelling which occurs during a normal day.
If you have a problem with fibrous tissue following liposuction, it is frustrating and tough to see and feel. It is common to want to actively do something for it, like a special laser, ultrasound, or medicine. With any treatment to help you run the risk of causing more inflammation, or you may be spending time and money for no improvement. Feeling depressed can happen. In outlier cases it can take 1-2 years to fully settle. Photographs and doctor visits are good to chart the changes. On a day to day basis you may not see a change which is visible to others who are seeing you weeks apart.
If you are sore in the area, it is a sign you aren’t settled yet. As for revisions, you need to let the inflammation settle before you could try.