Description

Lipedema Surgery After Prior Procedures in Newport Beach: 50-Year-Old Woman – Leg, Hip, Buttock, Abdomen, and Arm Results

Before Treatment

This 50-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. Between 2023 and 2024, she had undergone three procedures with another surgeon, including liposuction of her legs and trunk and an abdominoplasty. Despite those surgeries, her lipedema symptoms persisted, and she transferred her care to our practice for a comprehensive lipedema treatment plan.

Her main concerns:

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

Her Surgical Journey

Lipedema is a distinct condition from ordinary fat, and treating it effectively requires thorough, circumferential removal of the affected tissue. We designed a staged plan using power-assisted liposuction, with skin-tightening procedures added where needed for smooth, natural contours. The stages were spaced several months apart, giving her time to recover fully between operations. She has completed three stages with us, with a fourth planned.

• 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 and abdominal lipedema liposuction with arm and forearm lifts. Power-assisted liposuction of both arms and the abdomen, 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): Revision abdominoplasty. A revision of her prior abdominoplasty to refine the contour of her abdomen.

How She’s Doing Now

She has done very well through all three stages, and she reports that her recovery from her most recent stage is going very well (photos captured 2 months after her third stage).

• Slimmer, more proportionate legs from hip to ankle
• Smoother, tighter contours of the thighs and calves following her lifts
• Reduced volume through the hips, buttocks, and abdomen, 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
• Looking ahead to her revision abdominoplasty to complete her abdominal contour

This staged approach has treated her lipedema comprehensively after earlier procedures elsewhere left her symptoms unresolved, reducing the affected tissue in her legs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, and arms while tightening the skin for a balanced, comfortable result.

Common Questions About This Case

Can lipedema surgery help if I’ve already had liposuction elsewhere?
 Yes. This patient had three prior procedures with another surgeon, but her lipedema symptoms persisted. Lipedema-focused liposuction that treats the full circumference of each affected area can still provide meaningful improvement after earlier surgery.

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 had lipedema of the legs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, and arms. She has completed three stages with us, with a fourth planned.

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, and the second stage allowed us to add thigh and calf lifts once the volume had been reduced.

What is a revision abdominoplasty?
 A revision abdominoplasty is a tummy tuck performed on a patient who has had one before, to improve or refine the result. This patient’s revision is planned as her next stage, following lipedema liposuction of her abdomen.

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