Liposuction, a fat removal and body contouring surgery, can enhance the body’s contour and improve disproportionate body shape. However, in the hands of inexperienced and unskilled doctors, liposuction can result in unnatural body shape, lumpiness, indentations, skin rippling, scarring and asymmetry. This scenario, unfortunately, is not uncommon, and if you are one of the victims of botched liposuction, corrective surgery (revision liposuction) can help.
Corrective surgery for botched or poorly done liposuction surgery is challenging and more complex. Fat injections or grafting can help smooth out the surface and improve the area in cases with indentations, rippling and scarring.
Unevenness could be due to the doctor’s poor planning or improper surgical technique. If you have had liposuction and are unhappy with its unevenness, please make an appointment with Dr Ivan Puah for a thorough assessment.
Yes, certainly. Some patients have had liposuction done with satisfactory results. However, they may have gained massive weight or cannot maintain their post-liposuction results due to ageing or certain medical conditions. Secondary liposuction is an option to correct and improve the treated area.
• Uneven surface contours like lumps and dimples on the treated areas
• Irregular dents or depressions on treated areas due to overly aggressive liposuction techniques. Inexperienced or unskilled doctors can cause tissue trauma during the fat removal process
• Obvious skin discolouration
• Asymmetry or uneven lumps and bumps on the treated areas due to reasons such as a poor selection of patients (such as patients are not suitable for liposuction), lack of experience or skills of the doctors
• Excessive post-liposuction tissue scarring due to improper use of liposuction tools and high-definition liposuction performed by poorly-trained doctors
• Over-correction, resulting in removing excess fat more than the desired body contour, leading to indentations, depressions, asymmetries
• Undercorrection, resulting in leftover bulges and lumps
The areas commonly associated with these problems are:
• The inner aspect of thighs (mid portion)
• The outer aspect of thighs (below trochanteric bulge)
• The sensuous triangle at the junction of the lateral buttocks, the lateral thigh and the posterior thigh
• The abdomen, especially those with loose skin or stretch marks
• Upper arms and armpits
Once you've spotted the signs of botched jobs, seeking corrective treatment is crucial so you'll be able to avert its long-term physical and psychological consequences. You are advised to wait three to six months after your previous procedure, allowing your wounds to heal completely before your corrective surgery.
The most undesirable results from fat grafting, particularly facial fat grafting, are unevenness and lumps in the facial contours, noticeable thick scarring, and an overfilled and puffy look. We perform revision surgery to correct poorly applied fat grating and deliver a more natural and favourable result.
Uneven chest contour with irregular dents, depressions on the chest and incomplete and uneven glandular tissue removal are signs of botched gynecomastia surgery. Other symptoms of poorly done gynecomastia surgery include inverted nipples, excessive and thick scarring, and over-suction of fat tissue that result in rippling and unevenness.
In such cases, Dr Ivan Puah will carefully assess your clinical condition and propose a suitable surgical approach to address your issues. An obvious asymmetrical chest with visible scarring and an imbalanced or misaligned nipple or areola can be corrected to give you a more masculine chest that you yearn for.
Patients may suffer various psychological outcomes such as depression, low self-esteem, anger, social phobia, and many others in the future. That's why seeking corrective treatment is imperative to avoid long-term psychological consequences.
The benefits of overseas cosmetic procedures include costs, availability of treatments and travel opportunities. Having cosmetic procedures abroad allows patients to rest without alerting their family and friends. At the same time, they can also tour foreign cities while recovering.
However, overseas cosmetic procedures are not without potential drawbacks.
• Most of the information on the doctors and their clinics comes from hearsay or advertising campaigns, which may be inaccurate.
• A lack of stringent regulations and clinical standards
• Overseas cosmetic procedures lack post-treatment follow-ups since patients don't stay long enough in the host country after the procedure. Without follow-up, doctors may not be able to pick up complications arising from the treatment and will not be able to address them in time to prevent further deterioration.
• Other factors such as communication issues, language barriers, and cultural differences in perception of beauty may also cause complications or increase the chances of "botched jobs."
Under the rules set out by the Ministry of Health Singapore (MOH), cosmetic tourism agencies and representative offices are not required to be licensed. However, they are not allowed to provide and conduct medical consultation services. Foreign doctors who want to conduct consultations with patients must first register themselves with the Singapore Medical Council and, upon success, will be issued a practising certificate.
As MOH does not have jurisdiction over medical and healthcare institutions overseas, medical tourists who encounter issues will have to seek legal recourse in the country where the procedures were done.
Medical tourism
The primary reason for beauty tourism is the relatively lower cost of cosmetic procedures, plus the opportunity to explore the host city or country after getting the treatment done. Popular medical tourism destinations include India, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and China.
However, the lack of stringent regulations and clinical standards is often overlooked or doesn't pose a deterrent. These inadequacies can lead to the need for revisionary work and additional corrective treatments, which may mean additional expense.
Patients who have been through such experiences frequently complain of a lack of medical follow-up, miscommunication, improper preparation and incomplete procedure counselling.
Shopping for the cheapest
Don't opt for a procedure because it's cheap or the cheapest option. The aim is to get the most appropriate procedure done to best suit your needs without incurring unnecessary risks to your health and wellbeing.
Not doing enough homework
It's crucial to find a doctor who not only performs the procedure regularly but who can also consistently achieve a high patient satisfaction rate. Check out the before and after photos of cases performed by your doctor; they'll show clear indications of results.
After accessing your condition and medical history, they should give you an uncomplicated and straightforward explanation of the recommended treatment.
Case 1: Female patient with dents and uneven skin texture on outer hips, as well as dimpling and waves on the back thighs. These are caused by uneven suction from a botched liposuction procedure in Singapore.
Case 2: Female patient who had botched liposuction procedure performed on the inner thighs overseas. There are obvious skin irregularities, overly aggressive suction causing rippling and large pigmented scarring, as seen in the picture. The patient sought liposuction correction surgery and fat grafting with Dr Ivan Puah.
Case 3: Female patient who had a botched liposuction procedure performed on the abdomen in Singapore. Unevenness, dents and lumpiness of the abdomen and uneven curve on the left body contour as seen in the picture, who sought liposuction correction surgery with Dr Ivan Puah.
Case 4: Male patient with severe dents on the chest, skin folds and unevenness from botched gynecomastia surgery and high-definition liposuction of abdomen performed in Australia. He later sought liposuction correction surgery for both conditions with Dr Ivan Puah.
Case 5: Female patient who had a botched liposuction procedure performed on the inner and outer thighs in Thailand. As seen in the picture, the undercorrection has resulted in "leftover" lumpy and uneven fat bulges on the thighs. The patient seeks liposuction correction surgery with Dr Ivan Puah.
Case 6: Female patient who had a botched arm liposuction procedure in Singapore to get rid of her excess arm fat. The picture shows that the arms have unevenness, lumps and irregularities. The patient sought liposuction correction surgery with Dr Ivan Puah.
• Read reviews on the clinics and doctors from previous patients
• Choose the doctors who have experience treating conditions similar to yours
• Go for a face-to-face consultation with the doctor
• Communicate clearly and in detail the issues you are facing
• Make sure the doctor understands what you are looking for
• Be realistic with your expectations
Corrective surgery is carried out in an accredited Day Surgery Center. There's also a panel of anaesthesiologists to take care of you during the surgery while you are under twilight sedation (not GA). We will ensure that you are comfortable, relaxed and safe.
Postoperative care is not compromised either, with a comprehensive post-surgical care team attending to you after.
Dr Ivan Puah is an accredited liposuction doctor in Singapore with over 17 years of body sculpting experience. He has completed fundamental and advanced body sculpting surgical training conducted by Dr John Millard and Dr Alfredo Hoyos. These two plastic surgeons were the ones who developed VASER (the acronym for Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance) liposuction, a liposuction technique with the assistance of ultrasound waves, to break up and liquefy fat cells, making them for easier extraction.
Dr Ivan Puah is certified to perform *VASER liposuction, having completed his liposuction training in the United States and Argentina. He is the Chairman of the Lipo Peer Review Committee in Singapore and has received dedicated surgical training in gynecomastia surgery in the United States of America.
Dr Ivan Puah has developed two proprietary surgical approaches: the 360° Glandular Tissue Dissection (360°GTD®) technique for gynecomastia surgery and the MDC-Sculpt® Lipo technique for liposuction.
Since its establishment in 2004, Amaris B. Clinic has received multiple industry recognitions and accolades.
The wellbeing and safety of a patient are in the hands of the doctor treating them. This is perhaps one of the most precious trusts entrusted between two human beings, and as such, a doctor should be able to truly understand and relieve his patients of any worries and concerns.
Transparent Communication
The consultation should be thorough, clear and well communicated. It should never be rushed and should not leave you with questions unanswered. Throughout a patient's liposuction journey, open and honest communication is essential.
Doctors should be able to listen and communicate effectively. They should be able to comprehend their patients' requirements, assuage their fears and anxieties, and confidently answer any questions they may have. Trust is essential, and it must be earned.
Team
Pay attention to factors such as the doctor's medical support staff's experience. When did they start aiding the doctor with the procedure? Are they able to provide you with timely advice? When it comes to addressing your queries, are they professional, confident, and knowledgeable?
Is it possible for them to allay your fears and anxieties about the treatment and make you feel at ease in their care?
The Doctor's Experience
An experienced doctor who has performed multiple liposuction operations is capable of addressing a patient's demands and anticipating the results. Research thoroughly about the doctors you have shortlisted.
Consistent outcomes are often a strong sign. Inquire about before and after images and the number of liposuction treatments they perform monthly.
Surgical difficulty
A doctor should ideally have an excellent eye for aesthetics to visualise the desired results and then materialise them using his expertise. Each body area is unique and needs a distinct approach.
This is a problem that a highly seasoned doctor can take on with confidence and reasonable ease.
Patient-centred care
Attention to patient care is a vital need for any medical professional. After all, the patient's safety, comfort, and wellbeing are paramount. This rule applies to the whole medical team as well as the facilities. It's also essential to consider postoperative care and its level of service.
In general, Dr Ivan Puah’s fees for performing corrective surgery is based on his experience, the complexity of the surgery and patient’s clinical condition. Other charges include the type of anaesthesia used, surgical facility costs, medical tests such as blood tests, pre and post-medication, etc.
Price is one of the many variables to consider. Choosing a qualified doctor by the Ministry of Health Singapore, who uses an accredited surgical facility and works with a well-trained surgical support team, is just as important, if not more. Ensure your health, safety and results are at the forefront, especially when secondary revisions are typically more challenging, complicated and time-consuming.
At Amaris B. Clinic, aftercare significantly assists you with faster recovery and ensures optimum results. We have curated a bespoke aftercare program designed to help you with the healing process, such as manual lymphatic drainage massages, skin firming and many others.
Wanting to proceed with Corrective Liposuction (Lipo Revision) is personal. It is a practical solution to correct previously done liposuction, gynecomastia or fat grafting surgeries that you are unhappy about.
Those who experienced botched jobs in body sculpting procedures are going through more than just unevenness of the contour or asymmetry on their bodies. Patients may also be affected psychologically – they may have low self-confidence and may retreat from the public eye.
We welcome you to call us and schedule a consultation with Dr Ivan Puah to understand how we can help you to improve your condition.