Skin is looser after BodyTite Liposuction
I had BodyTite Liposuction almost 4 weeks ago. I am 5'7 and was 153 pounds before the procedure. My skin wasn't loose but my surgeon thought my skin elasticity was only moderate, not great, but that I would likely respond well to Radiofrequency-assisted liposuction (RFAL). He removed 1200ml of fat from my hips and flanks and 1000ml from my abdomen and mons. Almost all the swelling is gone and I weight 6.5 pounds less. However, the skin on my abdomen is loose. It looks normal when I am standing up, but when I sit down it looks loose and soft and squishy. If I squeeze my lower abdomen I look like a 90 year old with extreme crepey skin. The surgeon doesn't see me until 16 weeks Post-OP, I have just been seeing the nurses. They keep telling me that it will tighten, but I am very scared that it won't. If it was supposed to tighten a bit during surgery and then continue tightening over the next few months, but it got looser than pre-surgery, so should I be worried???
Thank you for the question.... What I try to explain to all my liposuction patients is that when you remove fat, it deflates your skin a little and the skin will be a little more loose. If you have a large volume removed, it may be a lot more loose. This is much more of a problem in the abdomen than the waist or low back. So, adding BodyTite or a Tummytuck are both reasonable options. Which one you choose depends on how much skin laxity is expected. I have been using BodyTite for a couple years now. The results are great! But, it is true, the majority of the skin tightening happens over the first 6 months, then just a little more tightening up to a year.
Thank you for your question. The quick answer is 4 weeks after surgery is too soon to evaluate the skin. Lymphatic channels take 3 months to reopen and skin remodels for a year. Keep your follow up appointments and express your concerns to your doctor but give your tissues the time they need to heal.
It can take six months for the full affect of tightening to occur. Some patients simply don’t respond. Four weeks postoperative is way too early to start assessing any result. I would stop worrying and be patient. I think you will eventually obtain a good result. Best wishes.