Everyone wants to know exactly what they will look like after liposuction. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees and it is impossible to predict exactly how each individual’s body will heal. The truth is, everyone’s body is different and their body has different limitations and different healing potential. There are some things that we can evaluate to make an educated guess as to what the outcome will be, but there are no guarantees. Those that have realistic expectations tend to be much happier with their results. The goal of liposuction is improvement, not perfection. NO ONE IS PERFECT!! After liposuction, it’s normal to have slight asymmetries, and possibly mild dimples (similar to cellulite.) In most cases, no one will notice these imperfection other than the patient since they are looking at themselves critically. Keep in mind that we are removing in many cases large volumes of fat cells which are naturally round and we are trying to make the entire area smooth and uniform primarily by touch. This truly is an art, which our specialist is very good at, but there are aspects that are out of our control. Below are some of the limitations when considering your expectations.
Limitations:
* Looseness of your skin. Usually the tightness of your skin prior to liposuction will be comparable to the tightness after the procedure, but the volume and size will be smaller. This is evident in many of our before and after pictures; even in larger patients, their skin usually retracts quite nicely. If you have very loose skin before liposuction, then your skin is likely going to be very loose after, but the volume of the area will be much less. Many individuals are happy with a reduced volume and bulk of a specific area which will allow them to fit into their clothes better. Some choose to use body shapers (spandex undergarments) to give the appearance that there is no loose skin. In contrast, if you have very tight skin before the procedure, then you will likely have tight skin after the procedure.
* Dimpling and Cellulite. Liposuction is not meant to be a cellulite treatment. Many individuals also have very asymmetric fat deposits that may affect the outcome. With that said, many patients have reported an improvement in symmetry as well as decrease in cellulite. Most will see comparable dimpling to what it was prior to the procedure, although the distribution may be different. A small number of people may actually get worse cellulite after liposuction. The presence of cellulite puts you at a higher risk for dimpling after liposuction.
* Density of fat. Individuals that have very dense fat tend to see more dramatic changes than those that have less dense fat. I believe that when the fat is more dense, the skin is tighter and when the fat is removed the skin retracts quickly and more dramatic results are usually evident. These people usually put on weight quickly and their skin has not had the time to stretch out and begin sagging in many cases, others just have great genetics. In some circumstances when there is what feels like dense fat, it turns out to be very fibrous fat and is very difficult to remove. These people tend to see less results likely due to the abundance of connective tissue which has a significant bulk in itself. This is more common in men. When the fat is not very dense, the results are limited to how much the skin will retract. Some individuals that have lost a lot of weight or have been very heat for long periods of time may have less dense fat due to the looseness of the skin. While we may be able to remove large volumes of fat on these individuals, they are limited on the tightening of the skin usually.
* Thickness of your skin. When your skin is very thin, dimpling is more likely to show through your skin. In contrast, if you have very thick skin, it is more likely to cover up any slight dimples. Thickness of your skin is secondary to genetics as well as age. As you get older, skin tends to get thinner and looser.
