Evaluation of Long-Term Outcome and Patient Satisfaction Results After Tumescent Liposuction.

BACKGROUND: Liposuction is one of the most common cosmetic surgery procedures around the world. Tumescent liposuction using local anesthesia has been shown to be the safest technique. Few long-term studies of results and satisfaction have been published on tumescent liposuction.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term results and patient satisfaction of tumescent liposuction in a single-center institution.

METHODS: Patients (n = 600) who had tumescent liposuction performed in our practice from 2002 to 2014 were contacted through letter, email, or phone to complete a questionnaire survey and in-office follow-up visit regarding their past liposuction procedures.

RESULTS: Thirty-two patients (n = 32) completed the patient questionnaire survey and followed up in the office. Surgeon and blinded evaluators saw significant differences in both the neck volume (surgeon evaluator: 2.42 vs. 0.71, p < .01; blinded evaluator: 2.8-1, p = .02) and Investigator Assessment Skin Laxity scales (blinded evaluator: 1.14 vs. 0.77, p < .01 for laxity and 1.33 vs. 0.75, p < .01 for firmness; surgeon evaluator: 1.17 vs. 0.83, p = .01 for laxity and 1.31 vs. 0.83; p < .01 for firmness). The mean follow-up period was 8.9 years overall and 9.9 years for the neck. Overall, 85.7% of the patients would recommend liposuction to their friends and family members.

CONCLUSION: Tumescent liposuction is a safe procedure with long-lasting results and high patient satisfaction.