I provide post-liposuction care so I see many different results from procedures. I see people who have undergone surgical liposuction where a cannula (hollow rod) has been inserted under the skin to suck out the fat. I also see people who have undergone non-surgical laser, freezing and ultrasound procedures.
Results can differ and cause problems for many reasons:
- Improperly trained surgeon
- Surgeon who is in a hurry and uses too large a cannula to save time
- Poorly trained laser or ultrasound operator
- Poor health and healing
- Poor nutritional state and healing
- Patient’s tendency to scar
- Inadequate healing time after the procedures
The complications that can occur include:
- Wound closure failure
- Wound infection in subcutaneous tissue
- Formation of scar tissue under the skin which causes the skin to stick together in the wrong places, causing ripples
- Overhanging distorted skin
- Uneven and no symmetrical shape through the area treated
- Formation of hard nodules under the skin and deep within sucutatious tissue that can be painful and unsightly.
I see many patients who are afraid and unhappy with the results that they are experiencing after undergoing procedures elsewhere. There are common themes that run through these patients’ circumstances.
Firstly there are many people who are carrying out liposuction (surgical or non-surgical) who are not producing good results, through lack of skill or negligence.
Secondly patients frequently do not undergo any or sufficient aftercare post procedure. This happens for two reasons.
The first is that many surgeons do not understand the necessity to drain fluid via massage after liposuction on a regular basis over the next six to 12 weeks. Failure to do so causes fat to resettle under the skin, causing ripples and nodules.
Post liposuction massage also separates tissue that is healing in the wrong place and subcutaneous scarring which causes incorrect contouring adhesions and disfigurement.
Also many patients do not take seriously the need to undergo aftercare post-liposuction. They will spend $12,000 and more on liposuction but do not want to pay for after care. They labour under the belief that the one procedure should provide the results they want, but it frequently does not.
Failure to undergo post-liposuction massage can result in complications that in some cases are so severe that the only thing left to do is a surgical revision which will include anaesthesia and hospitalisation.
With the rise in heat-based procedures such as laser and ultrasound, complication are on the increase because when subcutaneous tissue is burned to remove the fat, the burned tissue runs a much higher risk of scarring internally; and the scar tissue heals in a deformed manner.
The post-liposuction massage needs to begin within the first week after surgery.
If the drains were kept in (surgical procedure) it needs to happen in the first few days, each day, to put the excess fluid out though the drains.
All people who undergo liposuction of any kind need to have some post-liposuction massage to the treated tissues to prevent adhesion and nodules. Failure to do so can result in highly unsatisfactory results.
Call me at the Australian Health & Education Centre on 02 8021 6429 to book your series of post-liposuction massages.