Dr. Kenneth Hughes performs about 400 to 500 liposuction procedures each year, with many of these involving fat transfer to the buttocks, hips, calves, breasts, face, hands, etc. Out of these liposuction procedures, Dr. Hughes sees about 80% revision surgeries. Earlier in his career, Dr. Hughes performed about 30% liposuction revisions, but this number has grown over the past 5 years. There is a real need in the plastic surgery community to have board certified plastic surgeons who are immensely skilled at liposuction revision surgery. There are several reasons for this :
- There are several hundred thousand liposuction procedures performed annually in the United States and this results in many thousands of patients who seek liposuction revision procedures
- In addition, the skill set for liposuction revision is admittedly different as these surgeries are much more difficult due to the scar tissue, irregularities, and false paths generated in the first surgery
Those patients who have had multiple liposuction procedures and incisional surgeries ate certainly at greater risk for puncture of abdominal viscera such as the intestines, stomach, liver, blood vessels, etc. That is why it is imperative to have surgeons who have great skill and experience with just these types of procedures. Though no one is perfect and mistakes can occur, you want someone who has performed these revision liposuction surgeries thousands of times to reduce the risk for complications as much as possible. In addition, the goal of cosmetic plastic surgery is to produce a result that creates a better appearance and self image for the patient. Liposuction revision is very much reconstructive if you think about it as the first surgery creates deformity or poor shape or a combination of both.
Thus, liposuction revision is both restorative and cosmetic in many cases. It is foolish to believe that a surgeon who performs only a handful of these surgeries each year would have equal mastery or a skill level even close to that of Dr. Hughes. An experienced and honest surgeon constantly evaluates technique and results to provide for improved safety and efficacy when it comes to patient care. There are bad outcomes in any practice, but the real question is what is the probability that the surgeon can achieve your results without complications.
Many surgeons will proffer their wisdom about procedures for which they have little experience. This is a bit like criticizing an NFL quarterback like Peyton Manning for throwing an interception despite him being the best quarterback who ever lived. Everything is always scrutinized for the those individuals who succeed at the highest level by those who are less. People take sick pleasure in this as it is human nature to run down others and remain envious or jealous.
At the end of the day, there are thousands of before and after pictures and reviews that can attest to a surgeon’s skill level. It is up to the patient to sift through all of the potentially corrupted information put out by others to determine the best surgeon for a procedure.
Additional Reading on Liposuction
All articles are written by Dr. Kenneth B. Hughes, MD
Harvard-educated, Harvard-trained, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Los Angeles
- Is Your Surgeon a Liposuction Expert? How Do You Know?
- Liposuction Safety and Risks
- Why Liposuction of Foreign Material Injections of the Buttocks Does not Work
- Sometimes the Best Liposuction Revision Involves Neither Liposuction Nor Fat Grafting
- Dr. Kenneth Hughes MD Discusses Risks of Liposuction & Prevention of Complications
- What Liposuction Can Do and What It Can’t