Liposuction and Loose Skin, What You Need to Know

People who are interested in breaking free of their struggle to look the way they want often turn to liposuction. This popular minimally-invasive procedure is used to reduce stubborn fat in several different areas of the body. Examples include the thighs, hips, abdomen, back, backs of the arms, and under the chin. While liposuction can do a lot to sculpt the body, one thing it cannot do is tighten the skin. This is an important aspect of body contouring because, without adequate consideration and planning, a person’s skin may look loose and saggy after their liposuction procedure. Here, we discuss why and what might be done to prevent this.

Is Loose Skin the Result of Liposuction?

If skin can look loose and saggy after liposuction, then is stands to reason that liposuction is the cause, right? No. Liposuction does not cause sagging skin. What liposuction does is remove the volume beneath skin by eliminating excess fatty tissue. When this is done, though, skin that does not have good laxity doe not bounce back and retract the way one might like. Tissue laxity is not a matter of fat, though, it is a matter of chemical balance.

The skin and superficial tissue is plumped, firmed, and smoothed with chemicals. These include collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. Around age 20, the cells that make these vital nutrients go dormant. This is why, sometime during our 30s or 40s, we see lines, wrinkles, jowls, and other problems. Another reason why the skin may not bounce back after liposuction is that it has been stretched too much. We may see this as a prominent problem after significant weight loss.

Solutions for Loose Skin after Liposuction

We prefer not to take a “wait and see” approach to tissue retraction after liposuction. In many cases, we can anticipate how the skin will respond to the decrease in volume beneath it. During her consultation, Dr. Lombardo evaluates the skin in the treatment area. If it is loose before liposuction, she may discuss appropriate techniques to address the issue either at the time of surgery or shortly thereafter.

The most common approach to loose skin associated with body contouring has been to surgically trim it at the time of liposuction surgery. Thigh lifts, abdominoplasty, and arm lifts are examples of surgical skin tightening. These techniques are outstanding because they permanently restructure the area of concern. Today, we can also turn to innovative technologies to tighten loose skin at the time of liposuction. Dr. Lombardo may do so with Renuvion, a cool plasma treatment that provokes tissue retraction by targeting the underside of the skin. Like surgical lifts, Renuvion can be performed at the same time as other procedures, including liposuction.

A skilled plastic surgeon addresses issues like loose skin before conducting liposuction to ensure patients get the results they want. To learn more about our body contouring techniques, call (760) 610-8990 and schedule a consultation in our Rancho Mirage office.