Liposuction - Related FAQ's

Q: I had liposuction on my belly and saddlebags and am very happy, but at one month my scars from where the liposuction rods were entered through the skin are becoming brown and more noticeable. Can this be improved?

A: Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is not uncommon at insertion sites from the cannulae being passed back and forth with friction. Some people who have slightly darker skin are more prone to this than others. Those patients may know they’re susceptible to this post inflammatory hyperpigmenation, because they turn brown when they have acne that resolves, a bug bit on their leg, they burn themselves in the kitchen with a grease splatter on their arm, or a curling iron burns their skin, and all these situations develop dark brown skin patches that persist for many months or longer. Hypertrophic scarring is different, in which not pigment, but collagen increases. This manifests itself as raised red itchy or painful scars and is treated differently by massage, corticosteroid injections, V-beam laser and silastic gel dressings. The hyperpigmentation is treated with lightening creams, such as hydroquinone, Lumixyl and Elure and daily use of sunscreen if the skin is in the very slightest bit, exposed to the sun.

Q: I want to fly to my reuninon in California from NY after my liposuction on my abdomen which was six weeks ago. Is this OK?

A: You will probably be fine. It is doubtful, but possible, that you might be slightly more swollen for a day or so after your travel so if you are still wearing a compression garment, you should buy one slightly larger and bring with you on your trip just in case.

Q: My friend is so unhappy after she had facial liposuction. She is too thin and looks sickly and needs to gain weight but she doesn’t want to change her body’s physique. What can she do?

A: If she was overresected and too much fat removed in her face to make her look aesthetically pleasing and proportionate in her face, then fat injections can be done to rejuvenate her appearance. This has been done similarly, for patients who had their cheek (buccal) fat pad removed to accentuate their cheekbones. This had been in vogue then but as these women aged, their faces seem to age more rapidly and their friends who didn’t have the buccal fat pad removed, looked healthier and more youthful.

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