Understanding the Dangers of Liposuction

Liposuction is among the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures performed today. Although liposuction was first used in correcting only small irregularities of the patient’s body, it is now used in different areas of the body and is now considered as a major procedure.

Like all kinds of surgical procedures, there are dangers of liposuction. While reported complications and risks have been embellished by different media reports, the dangers of liposuction could range from extremely mild to possibly life threatening.

Mild Dangers of Liposuction

Mild dangers of liposuction, which are usually seen immediately after the surgery, can be treated with other cosmetic procedures or different beauty products. While a mild danger of liposuction is not life threatening, it could still be a permanent side effect or complication.

Even if liposuction is performed by a board-certified surgeon, loose, excess skin will probably be the result of the operation due to the large amounts of fat removed at once. However, this will purely depend on individual skin elasticity. Fortunately, excess skin can be removed by another surgery, such as tummy tucks.

Incisions made from the liposuction procedure can be permanent. Although two, tiny incisions are made for each treated area, scars will be found on the belly button, pubic hair or skin creases. While you could treat these scars by massaging them with creams, these scars should probably fade gradually.

Moderate Dangers of Liposuction

Dangers of liposuction that could last for several weeks or a few months include swelling, infection and burns from ultrasonic-assisted liposuction. When swelling occurs after liposuction, it could cause pressure on the nerves, resulting in tingling sensations and numbness.

When you experience infections after the procedure, experts usually recommend taking antibiotics before and while the infection occurs. Symptoms of infection include tenderness, vomiting, fever, chills and redness.

Serious Dangers of Liposuction

While serious dangers of liposuction rarely occurs, organ damage from injury, pulmonary embolism, fluid imbalance, lidocaine overdose and even liposuction deaths.

When the surgeon operates using the canula and accidentally puncture the patient’s internal organs, it could damage the organs and result infection. Surgery is the only way to repair these organ damages.

When pieces of fats are displaced during and three days after liposuction, it may travel to the lungs and cause pulmonary embolism. When this happens, the patient will have difficulty of breathing that may require emergency treatment and care.

Other dangers of liposuction are fluid imbalance and lidocane overdose. When any of these serious complications occur, it could cause death due to liposuction. In addition, liposuction deaths are also reported when the procedure is combined with other surgical operations. For this reason, it is best to choose a reliable surgeon to prevent possible risks and complications before and after the surgery.