Liposuction Side Effects

All surgery procedures are serious and liposuction is no exception. Plastic surgery is not to be abused and many experts warn that liposuction is not a solution for obesity. Liposuction is for people who are already in good shape and are trying to remove fat from some areas that are hard to burn off through exercise and dieting. It is by no means a weight loss strategy nor should it be incorporated into any type of weight loss plan. Despite being generally regarded as a relatively safe procedure, liposuction does come with the possibility of complications. Many are minor and temporary but there are some serious complications that could arise although they are rare. Major complications arise from surgical procedures or from the improper administration of anesthesia.

The most common of liposuction side effects are hematomas and seromas which is typically not serious and a temporary effect of improper clean up procedures after the surgery. It occurs when blood leaked from damaged blood vessels and capillaries pool under the skin causing a discoloration. It usually will clear up and the duration of time depends on the severity of the situation.

Some skin issues that might arise include full thickness skin necrosis and hyper pigmentation. Full thickness skin necrosis this is when the skin of the treated area dies because the supply of vital material is destroyed. It can occur when the liposuction procedure damages the vascular supply to the skin in the area being treated or if the blood vessel is damaged or there is clotting inside a blood vessel. This becomes a serious issue when an infection occurs in the area and medical attention will then be required immediately to prevent the possibility of permanent scaring. Hyper pigmentation occurs when something causing the skin to become inflamed which ruptures a skin cell that releases melanin onto the nearby skin. The pigment is seen as a foreign substance and is captured by the macrophage. The discoloration will stay for as long as the macrophage remains in the area. For light skinned people this will last about half a year and can last as long as years for darker skin tones. The good news is that hyper pigmentation is not lethal, just unsightly in some cases.

One of the most unsightly of non-serious liposuction side effects occurs when too many fat cells are removed from one particular area. This causes skin irregularities which leaves the skin looking bumpy and groovy, not the good kind of groovy. Liposuction is a permanent procedure and to avoid this type of problem any major treatment should be done in small increments so that the results of each session can be evaluating before proceeding to remove more fat cells. Focal excessive liposuction is the result of removing too much fat from one area on the body which results in unsightly depressions and irregularities. It is normal to some amount of fat in parts of the body and removing all or nearly all the fat in one area makes it look and feel very abnormal.

The most serious of complications arise from either the surgical procedure or the administration of anesthesia. There are risks of allergic reactions to some anesthesia solutions and improper dosage could cause cardiac arrhythmias. During general anesthesia there is a risk that the breathing becomes irregular and a lack of oxygen can cause brain damage although these scenarios are rare when a board certified anesthesiologist administers the drug since they are put through rigorous training and examinations before being certified.

Surgical risks are related to the trauma caused to tissue surrounding the area being treated. Loose bodily particles could cause blood clots and the force used to break fat cells could potentially cause injury to internal organs. The most common issue with liposuction is the bleeding involved and once the blood loss becomes excessive it can be a major issue with the procedure.

In the end major complications are very rare and if the surgeon is experience and well trained to perform the procedure then the risk of liposuction side effects are really very small. Many of the minor complications can be avoided with proper drainage of the treated area. That is why it is so important to never shop for a surgeon based on liposuction prices alone.