Liposuction is a procedure designed to improve body contour irregularities by reducing areas of localized fat accumulation. In the abdomen, the thickness of the fat of the entire abdominal wall may be excessive. The largest accumulation of fat, however, is usually at the central lower abdomen and around the belly button, which contributes to the pot belly appearance.

If liposuction was performed one month ago and the pot belly shape has been corrected, then it sounds like the primary goal of the procedure has been achieved. If the entire abdominal wall fat layer still seems thick, then this could be at least partially still due to swelling. With continued use of compression garments and massage, any residual swelling should resolve over the next four to six weeks. Beyond that time, persistent thickness of the abdominal wall could be due to residual subcutaneous fat or to fat within the abdominal cavity that is not accessible to liposuction. Residual subcutaneous fat can be improved with weight loss or with repeat liposuction. Caution should be observed by patients and practitioners against overdoing liposuction. Sometimes, in attempts to make good results better, we can end up with complications such as surface irregularities from over-aggressive or too superficial liposuction treatment.