The greatest danger in any form of surgery can be the patient’s misuse of the privilege as well as a doctor’s disregard for professional judgment and allowing the patient to decide what they want. Liposuction is not a weight loss solution and should not be treated as such. Medical advancements have limited much of the risks of surgical complications but it cannot eliminate the chance of human error.

Most common complications are minor and usually are related to adverse reactions in the skin. These include skin irregularities, hematomas and seromas, and hyper-pigmentation. It’s important to be aware of these possible maladies effects of liposuction surgery.

Liposuction is the removal of fat cells under the skin. When too many fat cells are removed in one area, it creates skin irregularities in the form of dimples and grooves in the skin. Our bodies were meant to have fat stores and if too many fat cells are removed the shape becomes disfigured. It is common practice for surgeons to remove too few fat cells then do follow up sessions since fat cells cannot be replaced once they are taken out.

Hematomas and seromas is the visible discoloration of the skin caused by pooling of red blood cells near the surface. When blood vessels get damaged by the surgery and the area is inadequately drained, the blood will pool or the patient may experience hyper-pigmentation around the area of incision. For severe cases it can last for several years, but milder cases will last less than four to six months.

Another complication, also the result of inadequate drainage during the surgery, is blood tinged drainage and can cause the legs and ankles to swell after major areas have been treated. Sometimes, after major work to the abdomen this will cause bruising to the genitals. Proper post-surgery procedures such as adequate drainage will do wonders to help the recovery process.

Patients are also advised to avoid caffeine or pinephrine-like drugs commonly found in cold medicines before the liposuction surgery. This is to avoid any unnecessary and excessive elevation of the heart rate when anesthesia is given. The chemical epinephrine is contained in most anesthetic solutions which increases heart rate.

There are very real possibilities of major complications although rare. Some of the more serious surgical risks are excessive blood loss, injury to internal organs, and risk of blood clots. Drug related complications comes from the use of anesthesia and can be anything from allergic reactions to cardiac arrhythmias to brain damage from the lack of oxygen.

Potential patients considering liposuction or any cosmetic surgery should learn the risks involved and find a surgeon with adequate recommendations. It’s never a good idea to let yourself get sold to some cheap gimmicky surgeon whose priority is anything but his patient.