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Liposuction Side Effects

Common side effects of liposuction are temporary and typically associated with improper drainage and post-surgery “clean up” of the treated area. It is important that the surgeon performing liposuction surgery is experienced and properly certified. While no risk can be eliminated completely, a qualified surgeon can greatly minimize the chances of any complication resulting from poor practice.

When the area has not been properly drained of leaked blood and other fluids, conditions such as hematomas and seromas are common. These conditions are presented as visible discoloration caused by the pooling of leaked red blood cells beneath the surface of the skin. After major treatment to the abdominal region of the body, the patient might experience swelling of the feet and ankles as well as bruising of the genitals. This occurs when the fluids flow down to the feet and ankles as a result of gravitational pull. Again, proper drainage of the treated area can greatly reduce or eliminate this problem. The good news is that these effects are temporary and will eventually go away depending on the severity.

The skin is prone to damage if the procedure of fat removal is performed too close to the surface of the skin. These problems are common in superficial liposuction, a method of removing fat closer to the skin to induce skin contraction for tighter skin. Necrosis is a condition translated as the dying of skin that is caused when blood vessels and other connective tissue are damaged and cannot supply the skin cells with vital minerals and nutrients required. Hyper pigmentation causes dark spots on the skin when cells are damaged or otherwise affected in the process.

Permanent Side Effects of Liposuction

Permanent side effects include skin irregularities which is the result of removing too much fat in one area. Our bodies naturally have fat over the muscles and under the skin making the area appear smooth. Too much fat removed under the skin causes unsightly grooves and bumps that are permanent because once liposuction removes the fat it cannot be replaced.

The best way to avoid any problem is by performing small procedures. Large treatments can be broken down in a series of smaller surgeries so that the results can be evaluated at each step before proceeding to remove more fat. This greatly reduces many other risks of liposuction including surgical risks since the stress inflicted upon nearby tissue is reduced and the body is allowed to heal a little bit in between surgeries.

Risks of Liposuction

Along with the typical risks that come with any surgical procedure, liposuction is a relatively low risk plastic surgery solution for many. Laser liposuction further decreases risks as since it is a more precision enhanced method of the procedure. Typical complications such as surgical and anesthesia risks, as well as some common liposuction side effects are greatly reduced or eliminated altogether. Potential undesired effects such as skin irregularities and other poor results are greatly minimized because laser liposuction removes fat at a slower pace. The procedure might take longer because it is a slower method but the recovery is usually quicker due to the smaller equipment and incisions required to perform the surgery.

Liposuction Risks

The risks of liposuction can be categorized into two groups. They are either surgical related or anesthesia related. Surgical risks include any potential problems that could occur during the surgery or as a result of the surgery. Traditional liposuction procedures are particularly known for causing a lot of bleeding and so much so that in some cases blood transfusions are in order. Excessive bleeding and bruising are not as bad as the risk of internal organ damage caused by the mechanical force used to break up fat cells. There is also the risk of infection to the incision area after the surgery.

Anesthesia related risks are usually the result of improper administration. The wrong dosage can be dangers if overdosed and scary if under dosed and the patient awakes in the middle of the process. There are also some risks of allergic reactions to particular solutions in the drug. Patients are advised to avoid any epinephrine-like drugs such as cold medications because the solution in anesthesia would cause the heart rate to elevate. An excess of this could lead to cardiac arrhythmia.

Laser Liposuction Risks

Since laser assisted liposuction eliminates the need for excessive force to break up fat cells and provides a more accurate way of targeting fat cells, the neighboring tissue in the area being treated is less prone to trauma and stress. The chance of internal organ damage is near zero except for the extremely rare event that the surgeon doesn’t know what they are doing. Bleeding is minimal with laser liposuction because damage to blood vessels is minimal and in the event that there is a bleed, the heat from the laser will cause small leaks to evaporate. The smaller incision also means less risk of an infection after the surgery.

Traditional liposuction is used to treat larger areas and for that reason requires general anesthesia meaning the patient is completely sedated during the surgery. The larger dosage increases the risk. Laser lipo patients only require local anesthesia which means a smaller dosage, just enough to numb the area, and the patient is awake during the procedure. In this way, if something feels uncomfortable or abnormal there is an open line of communication between patient and surgeon throughout the procedure. The lower dosage also means that if the patient happens to have an allergic reaction to the drug, it will be a much smaller reaction.

Liposuction Side Effects

The most common side effects of liposuction include skin irregularities, hematomas and seromas. Skin irregularities is a permanent problem and although unsightly, is not particularly dangerous. It occurs when too much fat is removed from one area causing lumps and grooves to appear in the skin. There is also a risk of necrosis from some liposuction techniques that treat fat too close to the skin. Necrosis is dead skin cells caused by damage to the blood vessels and other connective tissue that supply the skin cells. Hematomas and seromas are conditions that cause visible coloration of the skin due to the pooling of blood leaked from damaged blood vessels. Proper drainage of the incision area can prevent of minimize the chances of hematomas or seromas. These are temporary conditions that go away with time depending on the severity.

Laser Lipo Side Effects

Laser liposuction minimizes most of the side effects such as hematomas and seromas because there is much less bleeding caused to the area. There is a risk, however, of burning the skin with the laser if it is left in one area for too long. This is a very rare case where the surgeon doesn’t move the laser away soon enough. The chance of skin irregularities is almost zero since laser liposuction is a slow process of removing smaller amounts of fat at a time. In fact, some large procedures will use traditional methods to remove large amounts of fat but stop just shy of finishing the procedure so that the surgeon can change techniques and use laser liposuction to remove the remainder of the fat. This way, the laser is used to define and finalize the sculpting of the area being treated.