Description

Staged Lipedema Surgery in Newport Beach: 76-Year-Old Woman – Leg, Hip, Buttock, and Arm Results

Before Treatment

This 76-year-old woman came to board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. John Larson in Newport Beach, California, with lipedema affecting her legs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, and arms. Because her lipedema involved both her upper and lower body, she needed a plan that could reduce the diseased tissue throughout and address the loose skin that reduction leaves behind.

Her main concerns:

• Lipedema of both legs, from the thighs through the calves
• Lipedema of the hips and buttocks, creating a disproportionate lower body
• Lipedema of the abdomen
• Lipedema of the upper arms and forearms
• Pain, heaviness, swelling, and easy bruising in the affected areas
• Limited mobility that affected her daily activities

Her Surgical Journey

We designed a four-stage plan using power-assisted liposuction, with skin-tightening procedures added where needed for smooth, natural contours. The stages are spaced several months apart, giving her time to recover fully between operations. She has completed three of her four stages.

• Stage 1: Full-leg and hip lipedema liposuction. Power-assisted liposuction of both lower extremities, treating the full length of each leg, along with the hips.
• Stage 2: Arm lipedema liposuction with arm and forearm lifts. Power-assisted liposuction of both arms, combined with a brachioplasty (arm lift) and forearm lift to remove excess skin.
• Stage 3: Second-stage leg, hip, and buttock liposuction with thigh and calf lifts. Further power-assisted liposuction of both legs, the hips, and the buttocks, combined with thigh lifts and calf lifts to tighten the skin of the legs after volume reduction.
• Stage 4 (planned): Abdominal liposuction with abdominoplasty. Power-assisted liposuction of the abdomen combined with an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to remove excess skin.

How She’s Doing Now

She has done very well through her first three stages. The photos shown here were captured after her first two stages and before her third, so they reflect her first-stage leg and hip liposuction and her arm surgery. She has since completed her third stage and is recovering very well, with updated photos to follow.

• Slimmer, more proportionate legs after her first-stage liposuction
• Reduced volume through the hips, with better balance between her upper and lower body
• Slimmer, more defined arms from the upper arm through the forearm
• Improvement in pain, heaviness, swelling, and mobility
• Recovering very well from her thigh and calf lifts, with final leg contours still to come
• Looking ahead to her final stage for the abdomen

This staged approach is treating her lipedema comprehensively, reducing the affected tissue in her legs, hips, buttocks, and arms while tightening the skin, with her abdomen to follow for a balanced, comfortable result.

Common Questions About This Case

Is lipedema surgery an option for women in their 70s?
 Age alone does not rule out lipedema surgery; candidacy depends on a patient’s overall health. This patient was 76 and has done very well through three stages of her treatment.

How many surgeries does lipedema treatment take?
 It depends on how many areas are affected and how much tissue needs to be removed. This patient has lipedema of the legs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, and arms, and her plan calls for four stages. She completed the first three over about nine months.

Why were her legs treated in two separate stages?
 There are limits to how much tissue can be safely removed in a single operation. Treating her legs in two stages allowed us to reduce the lipedema tissue thoroughly while keeping each surgery within safe limits.

What are a thigh lift and calf lift, and why are they done with lipedema surgery?
 Once lipedema tissue is removed, the overlying skin may not retract fully on its own. A thigh lift and calf lift remove that excess skin, so the leg’s contour matches its reduced volume.

Why is an abdominoplasty combined with abdominal lipedema liposuction?
 As with the arms and legs, reducing lipedema tissue in the abdomen can leave excess skin. An abdominoplasty removes that skin in the same operation for a smoother, flatter contour.

Surgery performed by John Larson, MD, board-certified plastic surgeon, Larson Plastic Surgery & Medical Aesthetics, Newport Beach, CA. Individual results vary.

 76-year-old with lipedema of the legs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, and arms. Photos show her results after the first two stages of a four-stage plan: full-leg and hip power-assisted liposuction, followed by arm liposuction with brachioplasty and forearm lift. She has since completed her third stage (leg, hip, and buttock liposuction with thigh and calf lifts) and is doing very well, with abdominal liposuction and abdominoplasty planned next. Updated photos to follow!