Should You Worry about Sagging Skin after Lipo?

Liposuction is a surgical procedure that removes stubborn fat that just doesn’t seem to respond to dietary changes and exercise. While this procedure helps to contour your body, the removal of fat can sometimes lead to unwanted loose skin or skin sagging.

Whether you will experience skin sagging or lose skin depends on a variety of different factors. However, there are some things you can do to try and reduce your risks before lipo or treat the sagging skin after liposuction surgery.

Why Does the Skin Sag after Liposuction Surgery?

To better understand why loose skin can happen after the removal of fat, think about an inflated balloon. When it is inflated, the balloon is tight and smooth, much like your skin. When you release a large amount of air from the balloon, it shrinks in size, but the surface becomes loose and wrinkled. The same can happen with your skin when you lose large amounts of fat quickly.

With added weight and fat, your skin stretches to accompany the growth. When this fat is removed, it takes time for the skin to bounce back. How quickly the skin bounces back (or if it even can) depends on a variety of different factors. These factors can include how much weight you lost and how quickly, your age (younger skin bounces back quicker), your genetics and if you had loose or sagging skin before liposuction.

Preparing Your Skin for Liposuction

Whether you have already lost a lot of weight and are having liposuction to target those stubborn areas or have been in shape for a while and just want a bit of body contouring, getting your skin in top shape is essential to reduce your risk of skin sagging after liposuction surgery. Staying hydrated and quitting smoking can help to support your skin’s elasticity and its ability to bounce back after lipo.

What Can You Do with Sagging Skin after Liposuction?

While minor loose or sagging skin is likely to shrink with time after liposuction, excessive loose and sagging skin may require more work and, in some cases, surgical intervention. Once you have healed from lipo and have the all clear from Dr. Martin, try incorporating strength training exercises to build muscle in the areas of loose skin.

Proper hydration, healthy lifestyle habits and massages can also support skin elasticity as well as improve circulation in the skin. If loose and sagging skin still remain despite your best efforts, surgical procedures, such as tummy tucks, buttock lifts, thigh lifts and arm lifts can help tighten the skin.

For more information about liposuction and your risk of sagging and loose skin, contact Martin Plastic Surgery for an initial consultation.