Question:
I had liposuction on my abdomen about 1-1/2 years ago. There has since been a large bulge over my bellybutton that was not there prior to surgery. Since it has been so long, I do not think it can still be blamed on swelling. Do you know why this may have happened and what can be done to fix it?
Answer:
If there is a residual bulge above the bellybutton, it could be just that there is some fat that was not addressed during the liposuction. This can be treated with just touchup liposuction that very often can be done even under local anesthesia, but any bulge in the abdomen needs to be evaluated to make sure that it is not a hernia. It would be very uncommon to have a hernia after liposuction but it is not unheard of. Therefore, prior to treating any bulge, you would need to be thoroughly examined and even possibly get at CAT scan of the abdomen that would determine if there was a hernia or not.
About the Author: Dr. Edwin Williams
Dr. Edwin Williams is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who founded The Williams Center in 1993. He has performed over 10,000 facial plastic surgery procedures and has pioneered the deep plane facelift. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery for over a decade, and served as President from 2015-2016. In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Dr. Williams earned the Castle Connelly Top Doctors award in New York Facial Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Edwin F. Williams III attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. He began medical school at the State University of Buffalo School of Medicine and received his Doctor of Medicine in 1986.
Dr. Williams is actively involved in teaching facial plastic and reconstruction surgery to the residents of the Albany Medical Center and is former Chief of the Section of Facial and Plastic Reconstruction Surgery at Albany Medical Center where he received an academic appointment of Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery.