Skin retraction after liposuction in patients over the age of 40

A commonly held misperception regarding liposuction in patients over 40 years of age is that the skin will not retract and redrape following removal of the fat.

In order to evaluate tissue retraction in the abdomen, neck, and arms in patients undergoing liposuction after 40 years of age, the following study was conducted.

A total of 58 patients ranging in age from 40 to 75 years underwent liposuction. Thirty had liposuction of the abdomen, 20 had liposuction of the neck, and 8 had liposuction of the arms. Measurements in inches and weight in pounds were recorded before and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the procedure.

Ninety percent of the patients were women. The rest of the patients were men. The average age of the patients undergoing liposuction of the abdomen was 55 years old. The average supranatant fat extracted from these patients was 1725 ml, with an average lidocaine dose of 36 mg/kg of body weight. The patients who had liposuction of the abdomen demonstrated an average weight loss of 5 lb and a decrease of 3 inches in waistline 6 months after the procedure. For those patients who had liposuction of the neck, the average age was 57 years old. The average supranatant fat extracted from these patients was 75 ml, with an average lidocaine dose of 4 mg/kg of body weight. The patients who had liposuction of the neck decreased an average of 1.3 inches in circumference without any weight change 6 months after the procedure. For those patients having liposuction of the arms, the average age was 44 years. The average supranatant fat extracted from these patients was 525 ml, with an average lidocaine dose of 16 mg/kg of body weight. The patients who had liposuction of the arms had an average of 0.5 inch decrease in circumference without any weight change 6 months after the procedure. The cosmetic results were good to excellent. Our highest lidocaine dose occurred in a patient having suction of the abdomen and was 71 mg/kg of body weight. No patients experienced any objective or subjective signs of lidocaine toxicity.

Tumescent liposuction of the abdomen, neck, and arms is a safe alternative for contour improvement with good cosmetic results in patients over 40 years of age.