LIPOSHIFTING
– NEWPORT BEACH, CA –
Sometimes, things don’t always work out the way you want them to. That includes your liposuction, which you thought would eliminate all those unwanted fat deposits in your body.
Perhaps it has made your skin look bumpy or wavy instead of smooth. Maybe you went for a touch-up, but the results ended up getting worse.
Or, as in most cases, you chose a cosmetic surgeon without doing prior research, hence ending up with less-than-satisfactory results. After all, not all cosmetic surgeons are plastic surgeons, and many are not board-certified in plastic surgery.
Fortunately, you can get a revision lipoplasty in the form of liposhifting.
An innovative technique for corrective liposuction, liposhifting can safely enhance your liposuction irregularities so that you may get the results you want — a slimmer and more sculpted body minus the unsightly bulges.
Continue reading this post to learn more about liposhifting done by Dr. Siamak Agha, one of SoCal’s premier plastic surgeons.
Who Needs Revision Lipoplasty?
If you have experienced contour irregularities after liposuction, then revision lipoplasty may be a great option to improve your results.
Contour irregularities are areas of wavy contour that result from uneven liposuction. An area may have too much fat in one region and too little fat in another region next to it.
Sometimes, some regions are liposuctioned too much, resulting in indentations. Internal scarring under the skin after liposuction can also worsen contour irregularities.
Contour irregularities are commonly seen after laser liposuction due to the uneven fat destruction and internal scarring that this liposuction technique results in.
That is why Dr. Agha does not offer laser liposuction but has corrected many patients who have experienced contour irregularities after this.
How Does Dr. Agha Correct Contour Irregularities?
As an expert body contouring surgeon, Dr. Agha starts every revision case with examining the patient and understanding the problem.
He then plans a corrective surgery that may entail several procedures:
- If you have areas with significant fat excess or bulges, he may suction away some or most of the excess fat.
- If you have areas of significant depression and indentation, fat transfer to these areas may be needed.
- If the contour irregularities are due to internal scarring, the scars need to be broken so that a smoother contour can be created.
- If there are areas of uneven fat distribution, liposhifting may be needed to treat the whole treated area.
For most patients, a combination of all these procedures may be required.
What is Liposhifting?
Liposhifting is a corrective liposuction technique that involves shifting the fat under the skin to undo post-liposuction irregularities. It is typically done without major liposuction.
Developed in Germany, liposhifting was initially invented to solve unwanted grooves and indentations after getting liposuction. After all, as much as 16% of those who underwent liposuction required revision surgery due to unsatisfactory results.
What makes liposhifting appealing is that it is a painless and scarless procedure that only necessitates a short recovery period.
Dr. Agha uses specialized instruments to loosen your liposuction scar tissue within the indented area and the fat cells surrounding it. Then, the loosened fat cells are used to fill the indented regions using high-intensity lipo massage.
How Is Liposhifting Done?
Dr. Agha’s liposhifting technique usually consists of five steps, which are as follows:
Marking the Skin
Before the actual procedure, Dr. Agha marks your operative areas while you’re standing up to identify your treatment areas correctly.
He also decides on the amount of fat to be shifted, so he marks the donor areas and hollows in different colors and describes the direction of shifting.
If there are any areas with large amounts of adipose tissue, then those will be marked with a third color.
Anesthesia
Liposhifting is done under general anesthesia together with the injection of tumescent fluid, minimizing blood loss and pain from your procedure.
The tumescent fluid consists of:
- Intravenous saline solution
- Lidocaine – a local anesthetic that helps numb the area
- Epinephrine – a drug that contracts blood vessels to reduce blood loss
Loosening of Subcutaneous Fat
After injecting the tumescent solution, Dr.Agha then uses a power-assisted liposuction device to free up and loosen the fat from the surrounding connective tissue.
The power-assisted liposuction works through a vibrating liposuction cannula that loosens up and releases fat from its meshwork of connective tissue attachments.
Unlike liposuction, the fat is typically not suctioned out but used to create a smoother contour.
Shifting of Fat
Dr. Agha then shifts the fat externally using a thick cannula held in both hands. He pushes the loosened fatty tissues toward the depression that needs to be filled by applying external pressure.
Once the dents are filled at the surrounding skin level, Dr. Agha overcorrects it by 20% to 30% to factor in for swelling and loss of some of the fat cells.
Fixation
Dr. Agha keeps the shifted fat in its new location by using a tape and foam dressing that applies pressure from the upper and lower parts towards the middle part.
Another foam dressing is applied over the tape dressing to reduce bruising and swelling.
These dressings have to be changed after three to four days, then totally removed after seven days.
Get Your Liposhifting Done in Newport Beach, Orange County
If you want to get rid of the skin irregularities you experienced after your liposuction, you might want to consider liposhifting. It is an extremely safe method of transplanting fat to areas that need it as it does not expose the fat to air.
Ensure that you choose a highly-trained, experienced, and board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Agha for the best results.