What procedure do I need to get a flat stomach and enhance my waistline?

Sometimes cosmetic surgery procedures go awry, and at Atlantic Coast Aesthetics, we get a lot of questions from patients who are looking to correct poor results obtained elsewhere. This is the case with the patient asking our ACA Question of the Week. She says, “I am 52 years old. 2 C-sections 1992, 1996. I had a liposuction done in June 2015 (stomach, flanks, waist and pubic areas) and I am not happy with the results. I ended up with an uneven stomach and a lump in my stomach on the left side. My stomach and love handles are worse than before the liposuction. Thanks in advance for your opinions.” Dr. Pane selected this question because he wants patients to know they don’t have to be stuck with results that didn’t meet their expectations and to help them evaluate what options they have if a procedure doesn’t work out like they hoped.

Dr. Pane observed that since this patient sent in pictures of the problem areas, it is easier to properly evaluate what is going on. After age 35-40, the skin begins to lose a lot of its elasticity and firmness. This makes it more prone to sagging, wrinkling and stretching, especially in women who have had at least one pregnancy. Where pregnancy has occurred, especially where a C-section has been performed, it becomes more likely that there will be sagging skin on the lower abdomen as the woman grows older.

In addition, if the initial liposuction was improperly performed, there may have been areas of adipose tissue that weren’t contoured properly, resulting in an apparent lump from the outside. A clinical evaluation and examination in person would really be needed to determine this for sure, but these are some possibilities that exist. In this case the patient was given to expect that the liposuction would contour the sagging skin and help flatten the abdominal area, which is true, but only to a point. If the skin was younger and more elastic, the liposuction would probably have had a more dramatic effect, but for this patient it may not have been the best choice.

If the issue was an improperly performed liposuction, additional lipo may help to smooth out the rough spots and present a more uniform, smoothly contoured abdominal profile. However, Dr. Pane says his first instinct would be to perform a complete abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck,” which would allow for the removal of the excess skin and tightening of the muscles of the abdominal wall to help sculpt and shape the area better. While this procedure would leave a scar, in situations where C-section has been performed a scar already exists, so this will not pose an insurmountable problem.

As with any other surgical procedure, the risk of postoperative complications does increase if the procedure has to be redone or corrected. These risks can be greatly reduced by having a skilled, experienced surgeon perform the necessary revisions. It is also important to know and understand all the potential benefits, drawbacks and limitations of the available options. In this case, the scar from the abdominoplasty will add a small amount of length to the existing scar, but the results in terms of the contouring that can be expected are likely to be much more satisfactory.

When a procedure is being redone or revised, aftercare becomes even more critical than usual because of the elevated risk of additional complications. This includes following all postoperative directions and being alert for any signs of problems, such as unusual bruising, tenderness, swelling or incision drainage. The patient should also avoid activities or environmental factors that may inhibit or interfere with healing, such as direct sunlight, drinking alcohol, smoking and exposure to salt water. If a problem develops, the patient should always check in immediately. It’s better to have a “false alarm” than ignore a problem until it becomes potentially life-threatening.

If you have a question about cosmetic surgery and weren’t sure who to ask, Dr. Pane and the staff of ACA welcome the chance to give you honest, straightforward information about the procedures you need and want to know about. Simply email us at https://acplasticsurg.com, follow us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at (561) 422-4116. Your question could be answered live by Dr. Pane on the air as ACA’s next Question of the Week and help us help others who share your questions and concerns! Remember, at ACA we believe the only bad question is the one you don’t ask.