Is revision liposuction the same as liposuction revision or corrective liposuction?

Yes. Liposuction revision, secondary liposuction, corrective liposuction, lipo revision and liposuction correction all name the same operation: a second liposuction, usually with fat grafting, that corrects the dents, waves, pockets, shelves and asymmetry a first liposuction left behind, working through scar tissue. Dr. Cat Begovic performs every revision liposuction herself in Beverly Hills, most often for patients whose first surgery was done elsewhere.

Can botched liposuction be fixed?

In most cases, yes. Revision liposuction with fat grafting corrects dents, waves, ridges, a pocket or shelf of fat left behind, asymmetry and lumps of scar tissue: the scar is released, the lumps removed, the borders blended and the depressions grafted with your own fat. Skin that was burned or has lost its elasticity is improved, not restored, and Dr. Cat says so beforehand.

What does liposuction gone wrong look like?

Liposuction gone wrong shows as dents and grooves where too much fat was taken, a wavy surface, a bulge of fat left behind, a shelf at the edge of the treated area, one side fuller than the other, hard lumps under the skin, or skin left loose or stuck to the muscle. Judge it at six to twelve months, once the swelling has gone.

How long should I wait after liposuction before a revision?

At least six to twelve months. Swelling takes that long to settle and the scar tissue that long to soften, so a liposuction revision planned earlier corrects a contour that is still changing. Dr. Cat checks the healing at the consultation before she sets a date. An infection, a fluid collection or an open incision is seen and treated at once.

Who performs revision liposuction at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery?

Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon, performs every revision liposuction herself, from the markings and the scar release to the last fat graft, one major surgery per surgical day, in her QUAD A accredited surgery center on Rodeo Drive with a board-certified physician anesthesiologist. Repairing liposuction done by other surgeons is one of her most common surgeries.

How does fat grafting fix dents after liposuction?

Fat grafting fills a dent with your own fat: Dr. Cat releases the scar that holds the skin down, harvests fat from a donor area, and places it under the dent in fine passes so it takes a blood supply. In Dr. Cat's experience more than 80 to 90 percent of the transferred fat survives. A deep groove may need two sessions.

Can uneven or lumpy liposuction be smoothed?

Yes. Uneven liposuction, with waves, ridges and cannula marks, is smoothed by removing the high points with a thin cannula and grafting the low ones; lumpy liposuction, with fibrosis and lumps of scar tissue, is broken up with a custom-crafted instrument, removed and grafted where the tissue is thin. Dr. Cat blends every treated area into the next.

What is the recovery after revision liposuction?

Recovery after revision liposuction is relatively easy for most of Dr. Cat's patients: walking a few hours after surgery, the first night in an aftercare center, desk work within a few days, Tylenol rather than prescription pain medication, bruising for about two weeks, the compression garment for six weeks, full exercise at four to six weeks, and the contour refining over three to six months.

Will I need more than one revision liposuction surgery?

Sometimes. Fat grafted into scarred tissue takes less reliably than fat placed in untouched tissue, so a deep groove, a large correction or a patient with little fat to donate may need a second session, planned from the start rather than discovered later; case RLP-0537 was corrected in two sessions. Dr. Cat tells you at the consultation whether one session or two is realistic.

Can loose skin after lipo be fixed with revision liposuction?

No. Liposuction removes fat and does not tighten skin, and more liposuction makes loose skin looser. Skin that has lost its elasticity is excised, with a revision tummy tuck for the abdomen or a thigh lift for the inner thighs, staged separately from the liposuction revision; mild laxity over a smoothed area is treated in the office with radiofrequency skin tightening.

Will Dr. Cat revise liposuction done by another surgeon?

Yes. Patients come to Dr. Cat from across Los Angeles, from other states and from abroad to correct liposuction, a fat transfer or a non-surgical fat treatment done elsewhere. Bring the operative report from the first surgery and photographs from before it. Out-of-town patients start with a private video consultation through OnPatient, the HIPAA-secure patient portal, with photographs of each problem area in good light.

Revision Liposuction in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

Q: How much does liposuction revision cost in Beverly Hills?

Dr. Cat Begovic's surgeon's fee for revision liposuction with fat grafting is $60,500 to $95,000; the operating room and anesthesia are quoted at the consultation. Fees are typical ranges; a more complex case can cost more. The fee starts at $60,500 regardless of how many areas are treated, because a revision works through scar tissue, and the $1,500 revision consultation is credited toward surgery.

Revision Liposuction in Beverly Hills

Revision liposuction with fat grafting (secondary liposuction: a second surgery that smooths the dents, waves, shelves and asymmetry a first liposuction left behind) by Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon with two surgical residencies, head and neck surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery, Harvard-educated and UCLA trained

Revision liposuction (revision liposuction with fat grafting, also called secondary or corrective liposuction) is a second surgery that corrects what a first liposuction left behind: dents and grooves where too much fat was taken, waves and ridges from uneven passes, a pocket or a shelf of fat left in place, one side fuller than the other, lumps of scar tissue, and skin left loose or stuck to the muscle. It is a different operation from a first liposuction, because it works through scar tissue and uneven planes, and it is one of the most common surgeries Dr. Cat Begovic performs at her Rodeo Drive practice in Beverly Hills, for patients from across Los Angeles and from out of state and abroad who come to her to correct liposuction done elsewhere.

Dr. Cat's surgeon's fee for revision liposuction with fat grafting is $60,500 to $95,000; the operating room and anesthesia are quoted at your consultation, because the operating time depends on your anatomy and on what is treated together. Surgeon's fees are typical ranges: a more complex case can cost more, and your fee is set at your consultation and is final only in your written quote. With her special technique, patients have a quick recovery, walking a few hours after surgery and most only needing to take Tylenol and no prescription pain medication.

15-minute Patient Concierge call, no obligation. The consultation with Dr. Cat is $500, credited toward your surgery.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACS

Board-certified plastic surgeon, trained in both head and neck surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery. Harvard-educated, UCLA trained. Updated October 3, 2026

What makes Dr. Cat's revision liposuction different

The decisions behind a second surgery that leaves the surface smooth.

Planned from every dent, not from a menuThe operative report from your first surgery, every area examined, and a detailed plan marked the morning of surgery from the dents, the irregularities and the scarring.

The scar released, the shelves blended, the dents graftedA custom-crafted instrument breaks up the scar, a thin cannula removes the lumps and shelves and blends them in, and your own fat fills the depressions.

Every pass by Dr. Cat, no heat devicesThin cannulas, every stroke counted on a precise grid, a thin cushion of fat left under the skin, and never a heat device.

The first night with a nurse, Tylenol afterA physician anesthesiologist in her QUAD A accredited surgery center, the first night in an aftercare center, a garment with foam instead of massages, and Tylenol for most patients.

What is revision liposuction?

Revision liposuction is a second liposuction of an area already operated on. A first liposuction heals smooth only when the passes are even and a thin cushion of fat is left under the skin; done unevenly or too aggressively, it leaves asymmetries, irregularities, lumps or dents. A revision removes the fat left behind, releases the scar that pulls the skin down, blends the borders and grafts the depressions with your own fat. In Dr. Cat's words, it is an extremely challenging surgery that requires detailed pre-operative planning and meticulous technical skill.

Patients come to Dr. Cat from other practices across Los Angeles, from other states and from abroad to correct liposuction done elsewhere, from subtle contour irregularities to shelves of fat left behind and deep grooves adherent to the muscle. Many tell her they stopped wearing fitted clothes because the irregularities showed through. Our guide to liposuction gone wrong separates normal healing from a result that needs correcting.

What revision liposuction corrects

Dents, divots and grooves where too much fat was removed
Waves, ridges and cannula marks from uneven passes or aggressive cannulas
A pocket of fat left behind, or a shelf at the border of the treated area, and asymmetry between the sides
Lumps, fibrosis, and burns from heat devices
Loose or crepey skin, and irregularities after a fat transfer or a non-surgical fat treatment

Who is a good candidate for revision liposuction?

The test is a healed result that is still dented, wavy, lumpy or asymmetric at six to twelve months.

You may be a good candidate if

Your first liposuction was six to twelve months ago or longer and the dents, waves, pockets or asymmetry are still there
The skin over the area still has some tone, and you have a little fat to spare for grafting
Your weight is stable, you can stop nicotine for two months, and you expect a smoother contour, not a perfect one

Not yet, or a different plan, if

Your first surgery was less than six months ago: swelling, firmness and uneven patches are normal while the tissue softens
An incision is draining, fluid keeps collecting or there is fever: a complication is treated at once
The skin itself hangs: that needs a revision tummy tuck for the abdomen or a thigh lift for the inner thighs
Your weight is still changing; a GLP-1 medication such as semaglutide is stopped 1 to 2 weeks before surgery and resumed once healed, at 2 to 3 weeks

Liposuction irregularities Dr. Cat corrects

Liposuction irregularities come from a few repeatable mistakes, each with its own correction.

Dents, divots and grooves stuck to the muscle

Over-suctioning causes most of the bad liposuction Dr. Cat repairs: take too much and the skin sticks to the muscle underneath and heals as a dent, a groove or a fold. She releases the scar that tethers the skin with a custom-crafted instrument, so the dent can be lifted, then fills it with fat grafts and feathers the border so it blends in.

Waves, ridges and cannula marks

A wavy surface comes from passes uneven in depth or spacing; ridges and cannula tracks from large, aggressive cannulas and from working too close to the skin. Dr. Cat removes the high points with a thin cannula, grafts the low points and blends each area into the next.

The pocket and the shelf: fat left behind

Under-resection leaves the bulge the patient paid to remove: residual fat of the abdomen, a chunk around the belly button, or an area never reached. A shelf is its border form, a step where suction stopped without blending. Both are corrected the way a first liposuction should have been done: the fat removed gently with a thin cannula, every stroke counted on a precise grid, and the borders blended so there is no edge.

Lumps, fibrosis and burns

Large cannulas cause fibrosis and scar tissue, and heat devices such as laser lipo leave burns and scarred skin; both heal as firm lumps or stuck-down areas. Dr. Cat breaks up the fibrous tissue, removes the lumps and grafts the thinned areas; burned skin is improved, not restored.

Fat grafting: how a dent is filled

Removed fat cannot be put back except with your own fat from somewhere else. Dr. Cat harvests it from an area with a little to spare, washes it gently, and places it under the dent in many fine passes, so each deposit can take a blood supply. In Dr. Cat's experience more than 80 to 90 percent of the transferred fat survives. Fat grafted into scarred ground takes less reliably, so she grafts in fine passes rather than pools, protects the grafted areas with foam under the garment, and plans a second session when a correction is large. Fat to spare can go to the buttocks or the hips in the same surgery.

Loose skin after lipo, and skin tightening after liposuction

Liposuction removes fat and does nothing to skin, which has to tighten around the emptied area over four to six months. Skin that has lost its elasticity, or was emptied too aggressively, hangs or crepes over the new contour, and more liposuction makes it looser. The correction is then excision: a revision tummy tuck for the abdomen, staged on its own day, or a thigh lift for the inner thighs. Mild laxity over a smoothed area is treated once healed with ThermiSmooth Body, the practice's in-office radiofrequency skin tightening; read more on loose skin after lipo.

Revision after a non-surgical fat treatment or a Brazilian butt lift

Non-surgical fat reduction can leave the same dents and lumps as bad liposuction. Dr. Cat has performed many revisions after CoolSculpting, which the practice does not offer, and after other devices that create scar and irregularities in the tissue.

After a Brazilian butt lift done elsewhere, the complaints are a shelf where the lower back meets the buttock, dents in the donor areas, and one side higher than the other. Dr. Cat corrects the donor areas and the buttock in the same revision with your own fat; she does not place buttock implants or inject filler into the buttocks. Our page on a botched BBL separates the problems that can wait from the emergencies.

What revision liposuction cannot do

Dr. Cat is direct about the limits before surgery, not after. Removed fat is replaced only by grafting, which takes less reliably in scarred tissue, so a deep groove improves over one or two sessions rather than disappearing. Skin burned by a heat device or stretched past its elasticity is improved, not restored, and some irregularities soften but do not vanish. A revision through scar tissue is a longer operation than a first liposuction, although most of her patients tell her it was much less uncomfortable.

When to have revision liposuction

At least six to twelve months after the first surgery, once the swelling has settled and the scar tissue has softened; a revision planned earlier corrects a contour that is still changing, and Dr. Cat checks the healing before she sets a date. Avoid massage devices meanwhile; they can worsen irregularities in scarred tissue. An infection, a fluid collection or an open incision is treated at once.

How Dr. Cat does it

Dr. Cat is a board-certified plastic surgeon who completed two surgical residencies, one in head and neck surgery, microvascular and facial reconstructive surgery, and advanced training in general plastic and reconstructive surgery, Harvard-educated and UCLA trained. Revision liposuction cannot be approached like a first liposuction because of the scar tissue, and she has developed a multi-phase technique for it.

Planning: the operative report, the photographs and the markings

The consultation is private and conducted by Dr. Cat herself. She asks for the operative report from your first surgery, examines every area, and tells you what can be repaired and what can only be improved. On the morning of surgery she marks a detailed plan built on the dents, the irregularities and the pre-existing scarring.

The technique: scar release, blending and grafting

After the areas are numbed with a tumescent solution, Dr. Cat uses a custom-crafted instrument to break up the scar tissue and the irregularities and to obtain the fat grafts. The incisions are under 4 mm, reusing the ones from your first surgery wherever possible. With a thin cannula, lumps and shelves are gently removed and blended into the surrounding areas; dents are lifted and fat grafted; asymmetries are corrected by removing from the fuller side, grafting the flatter one, or both. She never uses laser, Vaser or other heat devices, leaves a thin cushion of fat under the skin, and performs every pass herself.

Anesthesia, surgery day and the first night

The surgery is performed under general anesthesia with a board-certified physician anesthesiologist in Dr. Cat's QUAD A accredited surgery center on Rodeo Drive, several hours for a typical revision with fat grafting, depending on how many areas are revised, with the time for your plan set at your consultation; the operating room is booked for longer than the surgery itself, for anesthesia, positioning and the garment. Dr. Cat schedules one major surgery per surgical day; this is not a liposuction factory. A compression garment with foam over the grafted areas goes on at the end of the surgery, the sutures dissolve on their own, and the first night is spent in a plastic surgery aftercare center with a nurse, with gurney transport from the surgery center.

Preparing for surgery

Dr. Cat's team gives you the pre-operative instructions: medical clearance and lab tests, no nicotine for two months, the medications, supplements and alcohol to stop two weeks before, nothing to eat or drink after midnight, and someone to drive you and stay with you after the aftercare night.

Revision liposuction with fat grafting and scar release: Dr. Cat in the operating room

Real surgical footage, shown with the patient's consent.

Revision liposuction recovery, week by week

Recovery from revision liposuction is, in Dr. Cat's words, relatively easy. Our post on why she says no to lymphatic massage explains what replaces it.

The night of surgeryOnce you are comfortable you go by gurney to a plastic surgery aftercare center, where a nurse gets you up to walk that evening. Tylenol for most patients.
Day oneHome from the aftercare center with someone to stay with you. Walk a few minutes every couple of hours, keep the garment on, keep salt low.
The first weekSwelling and some bruising are normal. Many patients return to desk work within a few days. No massage of any kind.
Two to three weeksBruising fades and the dissolvable sutures come away on their own. Longer walks, then light cardio such as a stationary bike.
Four to six weeksFull exercise once Dr. Cat clears you; the garment and foam come off at six weeks.
Three to six monthsThe grafted fat that will survive has survived by about three months, the contours refine and the skin settles. A second session, when planned, is scheduled from here.

Revision liposuction before and after: what to look for

In revision liposuction before and after photos, look at the surface in side light: a good revision reads as one smooth plane into the untreated areas, with no edge, shelf or line where the grafts sit, in an after photo taken at six months or later. Every case on this page is a revision of liposuction done elsewhere: deep indentations and cannula marks grafted smooth (RLP-0763, RLP-0537 in two sessions, RLP-2633 on the calves, RLP-2665, and RLP-2625 with a dent down to the bone); fat left behind removed and dents grafted (RLP-2682, RLP-2641, and RLP-0325 with mons liposuction); fat transfer to the buttocks and hips with the revision (RLP-0343, RLP-0601); and revisions staged with a tummy tuck (RLP-0418, and RLP-0693 with a pubic lift). See the revision liposuction before and after photos for the starting point closest to yours.

Risks of revision liposuction, and how Dr. Cat reduces them

A revision carries the risks of any liposuction plus the ones scar tissue and grafting add.

What can go wrong

Bleeding, a hematoma or a seroma (a fluid collection), and infection
A new irregularity, asymmetry, loose skin or a dent that persists, when the correction is limited by what the first surgery left
Grafted fat that does not take, or a firm lump or oil cyst where a graft was too large
Skin or fat necrosis in scarred tissue, numbness, blood clots and anesthesia reactions, all rare

How Dr. Cat reduces these risks

Timing: at least six to twelve months after the first surgery
A detailed plan from the operative report and every dent and shelf, and a frank estimate of what can be repaired
Every pass by Dr. Cat with thin cannulas and no heat devices, the scar released first, a thin cushion of fat left under the skin
Fat grafted in fine passes rather than pools, protected by foam, with a second session planned when a correction is large
A physician anesthesiologist in her QUAD A accredited surgery center, one major surgery that day, the first night with a nurse, and follow-up visits

How much does liposuction revision cost in Beverly Hills?

Dr. Cat's surgeon's fee for revision liposuction with fat grafting is $60,500 to $95,000; the operating room and anesthesia are quoted at your consultation, because the operating time depends on your anatomy and on what is treated together. Surgeon's fees are typical ranges: a more complex case can cost more, and your fee is set at your consultation and is final only in your written quote. Her rule is plain: the fee starts at $60,500 regardless of how many areas are treated, because every area has scar tissue to release, uneven planes to blend and fat to graft, and more complex cases run higher.

The quote is itemized: the surgeon's fee, the operating room and anesthesiologist, the aftercare night, your compression garment, the cannula fee and Arnica, a BBL pillow when fat goes to the buttocks and a second garment when the arms are treated, all quoted at your consultation, and every follow-up visit. It is valid for six months.

The price reflects one surgeon who releases the scar, removes the lumps and grafts the dents herself, one major surgery per surgical day, a physician anesthesiologist and an accredited facility. Our liposuction cost guide explains what a quote is made of; insurance does not cover a revision.

Consultation fee, deposit and financing

A revision consultation with Dr. Cat is $1,500, credited in full toward your surgery. Your date is booked once the quote and the pre-op paperwork are signed and the $2,500 deposit is paid. To pay over time, the practice partners with Cherry, its primary financing partner, and also accepts CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit; see financing and payment plans.

Your revision consultation with Dr. Cat

It starts with a free 15-minute discovery call with our Patient Concierge, who books your consultation: in person on Rodeo Drive or, for out-of-town patients, a private video consultation through OnPatient, the HIPAA-secure patient portal. Bring your operative report and photographs from before the first surgery if you have them; for a video consultation, send photographs of every problem area in good lighting. Dr. Cat tells you what can and cannot be corrected, and you leave with an itemized written quote. Patients who travel stay in town until she clears them to fly.

Some of the most difficult cases I perform, and the most rewarding

Revision liposuction is an extremely challenging surgery that requires detailed pre-operative planning and meticulous technical skill. I have patients from all over the country and all over the world who have suffered from significant asymmetries, irregularities, indentations and scarring from previous liposuction surgery. Many of them told me they could not wear fitted shirts or pants because the irregularities were visible even through clothing, so they lived in baggy clothes. I am always honest about what can and cannot be repaired, and I help my patients set realistic expectations for what a revision can do. Although these have been some of the most difficult cases I have performed, they are also the most rewarding, and I feel grateful that I have been able to help so many patients look and feel better.

Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACSBoard-certified plastic surgeon, Beverly Hills

Book a free discovery call

A second liposuction, planned from every dent

The scar released, the shelves blended, the dents grafted with your own fat, every pass by Dr. Cat herself, the first night with a nurse, and a recovery most patients manage with Tylenol. It starts with a free 15-minute discovery call.