Complications
and risks
As usual
with aesthetic surgery, the greatest risk is aesthetic.
With liposuction, the patient may have been
expecting a greater change in shape than was actually made. It is therefore
important that the limitations of the procedure be fully explained by the
surgeon before the operation. A heavy build, for example, with broad hips
and a lot of muscle, makes it difficult to achieve slim hips or thighs.
If the skin elasticity
is poor the risk for aesthetic problems with bumps, creases or dents in
the skin surface is higher. To minimize this risk, the surgeon must make
a proper assessment of the skin before the operation is performed.
With all surgery there is a risk of bleeding, either during the operation
or afterward. Bleeding that requires a subsequent operation is extremely
rare after liposuction.
The patient may have a slight fever the first few days after the operation.
If a high fever develops, or sudden swelling or increasing pain, the clinic
should be contacted immediately. It may be an infection, although they are
unusual after liposuction. Normally, the patient feels better and better
for each day that passes after leaving the hospital.
With all surgery on the lower half of the body there is a slight risk of
blood clot formation in the veins of the legs. It may show up as pain in
the calf accompanied by abnormal swelling, or as sudden difficulty in breathing.
In these cases the surgeon should be contacted immediately, since a blood
clot must be treated with blood thinners, and this requires a stay in a
hospital (see p. 60).
After the operation
The area where
the fat was removed usually doesnt hurt much, especially after the first
six or eight hours. Patients often describe the feeling as a “numb tenderness”
when the area is touched. There will be permanent scars where the needle
was inserted, but these are usually 3-6 millimeters long. The final appearance
of the scars will vary somewhat from one patient to another, depending on
how well the skin heals. The incisions are usually placed in a small skin
crease, however, so the scars are extremely discreet. The vast majority
of patients are not a bit bothered by them.
As described earlier,
the needle is moved back and forth beneath the skin, and when the fat cells
are pulled loose it inevitably causes some bleeding. However, since the
blood vessels are very small the amount of bleeding is usually small as
well. Since the needle is rounded at the tip, the larger blood vessels and
the elastic nerves are pushed aside without damage.
All patients get tender bruises and swelling
in the area of the liposuction, and sometimes the swelling and discoloration
can be quite pronounced. There is no way to avoid this completely, but it
is not dangerous. How long the swelling and discoloration last depends on
the size of the area treated, where it is located on the body, and how well
the patient heals. They may last three to four weeks, but on some patients
they are gone within a week. A tight bandage or a girdle should be worn to
reduce the swelling. Swelling is greatest two or three days after the operation,
and then gradually sub-
