Bethany was a happy, healthy mother of two with a slim physique many would envy. However, like many women, there was one part of her body that didn't make her happy. "I thought 'I can't get rid of my belly,'" she said. "Looking back though it probably wasn't really that in the first place."
She decided to get liposuction, choosing a popular company promising a quick surgery, excellent results, and low prices. After being given what she calls a "hard sell," Bethany decided to have liposuction done on several parts of her body—including her stomach. But the results weren't what she expected. "It looked uneven and like they had taken too much out," she said. "At first they told me I just needed more time to heal, but then they called me in for a touch up and took even more out."
"I felt horrible," Bethany said. "I was very self-conscious."
"It looked like she had pebbles under her skin on her abdomen," said Courtney Crombie, MD, a plastic surgeon at University of Utah Health. Bethany was referred to Crombie after seeking help to fix the damage done by the two liposuction procedures. "This was the first time I had ever seen anything like this and it was a big problem," said Crombie.
What Went Wrong?
The bumpy, uneven appearance of Bethany's stomach was caused not only by taking out too much fat, but also taking fat from the wrong layer. People have two layers of fat: superficial and underneath the fascia. Skilled plastic surgeons know it's best to take from the fascial layer. "It is not recommended to suction right underneath the skin," said Crombie. "That way you don't create defects where you might create a divot or a tunnel or make it uneven."
Some surgeons had suggested Bethany get a tummy tuck to fix the problem, but Crombie saw that wouldn't fix the problem. With an abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, excess skin would be removed to make the stomach flatter. However, that wouldn't change the bumpy appearance. "Pulling the skin tighter might even make it worse," said Crombie.
How it was corrected
Crombie decided to do a procedure known as fat grafting. She would take the fat that was left on Bethany's abdomen and from other sites on the body and then inject it back in to create a smoother look. However, there was problem: Bethany didn't have all that much fat. Even after taking from her back, legs, and arms more was still needed. "She had nothing to give up without creating more defects," said Crombie. "We decided to also inject platelet rich plasma."
The plasma, which was also taken from Bethany, would act as a booster for the fat encouraging it to take after being injected. In all surgeries there will be some of the injected material that won't take, and since Bethany had so little fat to graft every effort had to be taken to make sure as much took as possible.
Bethany has now had two fat grafts, and says she can see a difference. She is also planning to have another graft done next year to further improve the look of her stomach. "It's better, but it is not totally corrected," said Crombie. "I will do as much as I can until she feels satisfied. I wouldn't offer her another session if I didn't think it would help. "
How to Avoid Issues: Do Your Research
Crombie wants others to avoid the problems Bethany has faced. She advises others to follow these tips to get the best outcome:
- Make sure the plastic surgeon is board certified. You can determine if your surgeon is board certified by checking with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "The problem comes when you have non-certified surgeon doing this work."
- Make sure the procedure is done in a hospital or accredited facility. Where the surgery is performed is also an indicator of whether or not the surgeon is certified to perform plastic surgery procedures. These facilities have to check that surgeons are board certified, according to Crombie.
- Protect your finances. Crombie said that by choosing a board certified physician you are not only protecting your health, but your finances as well. "Plastic surgery is expensive and usually not covered by insurance," she said. "If you have to have more procedures to fix defects made by someone who didn't know what they were doing that's even more money out of your pocket."
Bethany has her own advice for those seeking plastic surgery. "Do your research on who is going to perform surgery on you," she said. "Get recommendations and know as much as you can about them before going in."