[Surgical treatment of lipodystrophy]

With the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy HIV has become a chronic but not necessarily a life-threatening disease. One drawback of the medication is the lipodystrophy syndrome that develops. Its precise mechanisms underlying are not well understood. The syndrome includes peripheral fat wasting (e.g. face, buttocks) and central fat accumulation. This condition can be very distressing to the patient who may be depressed and lose self-esteem which eventually leads to social withdrawal. The facial lipoatrophy is often experienced as the main problem as it is a social stigma telling other people that the patient is infected with HIV. The second zone bothering these patients is the buttocks. Buttocks lipoatrophy constitutes both an esthetic problem as well as a functional problem causing pain on sitting and even on walking.