Liposuction Risks
Although liposuction surgery is considered one of the safest cosmetic surgery procedures available, it still carries its own unique set of risks. Like any other surgical techniques, there are a number of liposuction risks. However, these liposuction risks can be minimized by proper preparation before the treatment. By interviewing numerous plastic surgeons, a liposuction patient will be able to choose from a pool of highly qualified medical practitioners to choose a plastic surgeon to perform the liposuction surgery that they feel comfortable with. A good relationship with your plastic surgeon is a way to minimize liposuction risks. By having a board certified plastic surgeon that has extensive experience performing the liposuction procedure that you want performing the operation, you will significantly reduce the potential of complications arising during the surgery.
Liposuction Risks
The majority of liposuction risks result from poor procedural technique from a plastic surgeon that has limited experience performing liposuction surgery. By undergoing liposuction surgery with a highly qualified plastic surgeon at a facility that is properly equipped, the patient will be able to avoid most of the liposuction risks. Considering that liposuction surgery has progressed to the point where there are numerous types of liposuction surgical techniques that are used for different parts of the body, it is important that a patient choose a plastic surgeon that has the appropriate experience performing the type of liposuction surgery that you want.
The amount of liposuction risks will depend on the type of liposuction surgery that is being performed. For example, patients that are undergoinglarge volume liposuction, the amount of liposuction risks will be higher. This is because this type of liposuction surgery is highly intricate and will require a plastic surgeon that has advanced skills and experience performing this procedure. For liposuction patients that are undergoing new types of liposuction surgeries like ultrasonic liposuction or laser liposuction, the amount of liposuction risks will increase due to the presence of these new medical technologies. Although these liposuction techniques are considered safe and efficient, the long-term effects of these new types of liposuction procedures have yet to be determined.
As a result, nobody is sure if future medical complications will arise in patients that have undergone these newer treatments. Although the amount of liposuction risks is considerably less when compared to other cosmetic surgery procedures, there are still some complications that liposuction patients will need to be aware of. The most common liposuction risks include:
- Permanent scarring: Like any other surgical procedure, liposuction will result in permanent scars caused by the incisions that the plastic surgeon must make. However, plastic surgeons are mindful of patient's concerns and make small incisions that result in small scars that should not stand out.
- Skin elasticity: For some liposuction surgery patients, they do not have the necessary elasticity in their skin for their skin to properly adjust to the changes caused by liposuction. As a result, skin may appear clumpy in areas of the body that the liposuction was performed on. To rectify this, these patients can obtain a skin lift to obtain the proper look that they wanted to receive through liposuction.
- Allergic reaction to anesthesia: Like in any other surgical procedure, anesthesia is given to the patient to relax them throughout the process. Although anesthesia is commonly used throughout medicine and is usually safely administered, there are times when patients may react negatively to its use. The only way to combat an allergic reaction to anesthesia is to make sure that the facilities where the anesthesia is being administered is properly equipped with any medical instruments that may be needed to combat an allergic reaction.
Lymphedemia
One of the biggest preconceptions that people have about liposuction in particular and cosmetic surgery in general is that it serves little purpose in the larger medical field. Despite the progression and innovation evident in cosmetic surgery procedures such as liposuction over the last couple of decades, many skeptics feel that the resources used in cosmetic surgery are wasted.
Although many people may feel strongly that cosmetic surgery techniques such as liposuction are driven by superficiality, these people often do not give enough credit to the medical innovation driven by the plastic surgery industry. Even defenders of the cosmetic surgery industry often are unaware about the important contributions of cosmetic surgery to the larger medical world.
An example of the cosmetic surgery industry's contribution to medical innovation is evident in lymphedemia liposuction. Lymphedemia liposcution refers to a procedure discovered by the Swedish surgeon, Haken Broros, which was designed to assist individuals that have the crippling condition known as lymphedema. Lymphedema is caused by an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the interstitial tissue that causes swelling. This condition can develop in two ways: when lymphatic vessels are missing or impaired; or when lymphatic vessels are damaged or lymph nodes are removed. If lymphedemedia progresses to an advanced stage it can:
- cause tissue channels to increase in size and number
- reduce oxygen available in the transport system
- interfere with wound healing
- provide a culture medium for bacteria that can lead to infection or lymphangitis
Lymphemedia is a regular occurrence for approximately fifty percent of all breast cancer patients that have obtained preventative surgery. Through the preventative surgery, the patient's lymph glands that are located in the armpits are excised to prevent the spread of cancer to other areas of the body. Although this action achieves its goal of cutting off the spread of cancer, it creates problems in the lymph system that can result in lymphedemia. For breast cancer patients that notice that is a gradual and significant increase in fatty tissue around their upper arms, this is the most significant symptom of lymphedemia. If left untreated, this condition can cause debilitating pain, intense swelling, and even loss of arm movement.
Whereas traditional methods of treating lymphedemia such as body massages and compression garments have been proven to work effectively, these solutions have to be administered during the early stage of the condition. If the fatty tissues have grown substantially, these treatments will be ineffective. However, through the use of lymphedemia liposuction, it is now possible for this condition to be completely reversed. Under Dr. Brorson's lymphedemia liposuction treatment that utilizes traditional liposuction techniques, the plastic surgeon makes twenty incisions across the patient's arm. This is done so the plastic surgeon is able to access the excess fat tissue that is to be extracted from the patient's body. Once the incisions have been made, the plastic surgeon will removed a large amount of fat deposits from the patient's body. In some instances, up to 2 liters of fat deposits have been removed from the patient's body.
Following the surgery, the patient will have to make one compromise for their renewed health: they will have to wear a compression garment for the duration of their life. However, lymphedemia liposuction has been proven to be effective and patients will experience a complete return to normal arm size within a year. Although many past lymphedemia liposuction patients are shocked by how much swelling there is in their arms following the treatment, within two weeks there will be a 72% reduction in swelling.
Following lymphedemia liposuction treatment, patients will notice that their range of movement has been fully restored. Additionally, patients will notice that the pain in the joints of their arms and hands has been significantly reduced. An exciting medical breakthrough, the success of lymphedemia liposuction shows that cosmetic surgery techniques can lead to medical innovations.
If you have any questions about liposuction or if You would like to schedule a free consultation with a surgeon specializing in liposuction in your area, complete the form on the right-hand side of this page and one of our experts will contact you shortly!
