Over the years, liposuction has emerged as a relatively less invasive and safe cosmetic surgery involving only local anesthesia in many cases. However, certain risks remain intrinsic to liposuction, just like any other surgery.
A trained and experienced liposuction surgeon can minimize the risk for a committed patient. Board certified female plastic surgeon Dr. Kristi Hustak provides liposuction and other cosmetic and reconstructive procedures to patients in Houston, Texas, and surrounding communities.
Potential Complications
Although complications in liposuction plastic surgery are uncommon, but it is important for the patient to be aware of all risks and complications in order to make an informed decision. The complications may include:
- Infection during or after surgery
- Delayed healing
- Poor reaction to anesthesia or drugs
- Excessive fluid and blood loss
- Blood clotting
- Hematoma or fluid collection below the skin
- Conspicuous scarring
- Friction burns
- Prolonged or permanent numbness in the incision site
- Alteration of skin pigment
- Damage to the skin or nerves
- Damage to the vital organs
Very Rare Complications
In extremely rare situations, severe complications may occur with liposuction. Cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, excessive bleeding, internal blood clotting, acute drug interactions, allergic reaction to anesthesia, seizures, permanent nerve damage or brain damage from general anesthesia.
The occurrence of these complications is highly unlikely with an experienced surgeon. Female cosmetic surgeon Dr. Hustak receives patients from Houston, Texas, and nearby areas for liposuction.
Excess Fat Removal in One Day
There are some surgeons that may adopt an aggressive approach and perform too much liposuction in a single day, removing excessive amount of fat at once. This can create risks for the patient’s health and safety, and may also cause cosmetic issues such as dents, lumps, and sagging skin in the treated areas.
Where large amount of fat removal is necessary, the surgeon should schedule liposuction in phases, with a gap of several days between each phase. Experienced and terrific surgeons will never encourage overexposure to anesthesia or excessive fat reduction in a single day.
Steps for Risk Mitigation
To begin with, the patient should take care to share clear and accurate information about their present and past health conditions, present full medical records, provide an exhaustive list of prescription and non-prescription medications, supplements, and vitamins, and disclose information about habits such as smoking, drinking, or drugs.
The surgeon should determine the patient’s candidacy carefully by examining their age, weight, general health condition, fitness, and lifestyle, and their reasons for seeking liposuction surgery. A few medical tests may be ordered in some cases to establish the candidate’s fitness for anesthesia and surgery.
Pre-operative preparation and post-operative care during recovery are vital components of the procedure, which will have an impact on the safety and health of the patient. The patient should have the commitment to diligently adhere to the surgeon’s instructions and guidelines.
The surgeon should choose less invasive liposuction techniques involving local anesthesia wherever possible. Laser, ultrasound, and RF technology as well as non-invasive fat reduction alternatives may be combined with liposuction to make it less invasive.
For more information on procedures and treatments provided by board certified female plastic surgeon Dr. Kristi Hustak please call us to schedule a consultation at 713.322.7265 or click here. Offices in Houston, Texas.