Liposuction Risks
Liposuction is a relatively safe surgical procedure however there are risks that you should be fully aware of before proceeding with the surgery. As with any other surgical procedure, you run the risk of common complications such as bleeding, retention of fluid, the development of an infection, or adverse reactions to the administration of anesthesia.
Scarring is a possible risk that can occur following a liposuction. During the procedure small incisions are made from which the fat tissue is removed. These incisions are typically only 4 to 10 millimeters in length and oftentimes hidden within the natural creases within the skin. The scars should fade away within a year’s time, leaving only a thin white line as a remnant.
In addition to scarring, bumpy or uneven results could occur. These complications may detract from the desired appearance you were expecting to achieve as an outcome of the procedure. These imperfect results could be caused by a number of factors such as an inexperienced plastic surgeon, the uneven removal of fat, abnormal healing of the skin, or inadequate elasticity of the skin. These complications could be either temporary or permanent.
Depending upon the elasticity of your skin, removing a substantial amount of fat at one time can yield loose skin. Older patients or people who have a relatively large amount of fat to remove are the ones who are most susceptible to this complication. Again, this depends upon the elasticity of your particular skin. If this occurs, you may need to undergo a secondary surgery to remove the excess skin, known as a “body lift” operation.
The risk of nerve damage is another possible complication of liposuction resulting from the insertion of the cannula, which is the metal tube used to suction the fat cells out of your body. This can cause numbness in the impacted area of the body, which could either be temporary, or in rare cases, permanent. On rare occasions, a cannula may be inserted too deep into the skin, to the point where it punctures a bodily organ, requiring emergency surgery to seal the puncture.
Another possible complication of liposuction is what is known as a fat embolism, resulting from the way the fat is suctioned out of the body. Minute particles of fat may end up being redirected into a blood vessel rather than exiting the body through the cannula. If this occurs, deposits of this fat could move through the blood into the lungs or the brain, a situation that constitutes a potentially life-threatening medical emergency.
Depending upon the particular type of liposuction procedure there may be various other risks and dangers involved. To reduce the possibility of complications it’s recommended that you choose your plastic surgeon not based on the cost of liposuction but rather the their experience in performing these procedures as well as board certification.