What Liposuction Scars Can I Expect?

Liposuction is one of the most effective cosmetic surgery procedures to eliminate excess fat resistant to healthy lifestyle measures. Patient satisfaction rates after the procedure are more than 98% at our London Baker Street clinic. Many patients who have just started to consider the procedure often ask our surgeons whether they will have liposuction scars after the procedure. Although many patients may be uncomfortable with the idea of having scars after lipo, here at Centre for Surgery, we completely understand this.

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Most patients who have had liposuction fat removal are not keen on letting others know they have had the procedure. Cosmetic surgery is a personal decision taken by an individual and the vast majority of patients who had treatment with us view treatment as an investment in themselves. We believe everyone has the right to enjoy the benefits of their procedure without having to tell anyone.

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Many patients are understandably concerned if their liposuction results can be affected by scarring after lipo, with all our patients wishing to have a quick and stress-free recovery without having to be worried about prominent scarring. Any type of cosmetic surgery, including liposuction, involves making an incision in the skin, and all incisions result in some degree of scarring, leading to liposuction scars.

Will I have scars from liposuction?

Patients who have a liposuction procedure may notice they have some very minor scarring after the procedure when they are fully healed. However, any scarring from liposuction is barely noticeable, and our postoperative nursing team is experienced in applying years of scar management experience to improve the appearance of your liposuction scars so that they are barely visible to anyone.

What do liposuction scars look like?

Liposuction scars are minimal because your surgeon only needs to make the incision large enough to permit the insertion of the small-diameter liposuction cannulas to extract fat. Most patients who come for their postoperative checkups with our surgeons often tell us their scars commonly resemble the appearance of a tiny skin blemish once the skin has fully healed. Although these skin blemishes may be slightly raised, to begin with, they continue to flatten over time and take on a more pale white colour overtime over the first three months.

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Some patients with darker skin types may find their liposuction scars to appear slightly discoloured around the liposuction incisions. Liposuction scars may generally appear somewhat more prominent in darker-skinned people even after complete healing has taken place.

Top tips for getting rid of liposuction scars

Viewing our lipo before and after photos, you can get a clear idea of potential scarring after liposuction. As you can see, lipo scars are barely noticeable, and patients do not usually report them as a problem postoperatively. We believe it is essential to be as well prepared as possible about all aspects of the procedure, including how to optimise the appearance of your lipo scars so that you can achieve the best liposuction outcome.

• Make sure to follow the postoperative instructions in full –  our surgeons are well-trained in positioning liposuction incisions in natural body folds and are experienced in the management of liposuction scars. We would emphasise avoiding strenuous exertion and direct sunlight exposure to the healing wounds to minimise the risk of excessive scarring.
• Keep well hydrated – make sure to drink plenty of water during the liposuction recovery period to maintain moisture in the skin, which will help during the early phase of scar healing. Skin with a higher water content will fade more effectively to a colour resembling your surrounding normal skin.
• Apply silicone gel sheets once the incisions have fully healed – patients may find that lipo scars may still be noticeable once the skin has healed. Silicone gel sheets are a highly effective treatment option to improve the appearance of the scars. Their mechanism of action involves optimising good skin hydration. Many types of scars become unduly prominent due to excessive production of collagen, and the compression provided by silicone sheets helps to minimise the overproliferation of collagen and leads to flatter scars.
• Microneedling or laser scar revision – Most patients will find that liposuction scars will improve without any active treatment over the first couple of years after liposuction. For some patients, this timeframe is too long. Our aesthetic practitioners at Centre for Surgery are experts in improving the appearance of any type of scar after cosmetic surgery using state-of-the-art Morpheus8 RF microneedling and laser scar revision without the need for invasive surgery. These treatments work by remodelling the internal structure of the scar to stimulate new collagen formation. After only 2 or 3 treatments, most patients will notice a substantial improvement in the appearance of liposuction scars.

Book your liposuction consultation with Centre for Surgery

For patients who want to get rid of excess fat with surgical liposuction, please call us on 020 7993 4849 to book a consultation with an expert liposuction surgeon at our London Baker Street clinic. Our surgeons have many years of experience in carrying out both aesthetic and reconstructive surgery and will be able to give you customised advice on how to minimise the appearance of liposuction scars on your way to achieving a more sculpted body shape.

RELATED: Liposuction Before And After Photos