Monday, March 2, 2009

A Look At the Dangers of Liposuction

By Victoria Rowde

Like any invasive method, liposuction has its share of disadvantages, risks and dangers. Though considered as minimally invasive, one should also take note of the dangers of liposuction. The risk would be minimized if a experienced and qualified surgeon would perform the operation, using tumescent anesthesia in an outpatient setting. Even though these conditions may be met, there is still a small margin of error, so accidents are still possible. One should be aware of these before undergoing such a procedure.

Some of risks and dangers of liposuction are as follows:

1. The procedure will have side effects. One will surely experience some soreness, fluid drainage, swelling, bruising, pain as well as numbness on the affected area. This depends on the kind of procedure involved, as well as the person's own capability to recover. One might endure this for a few weeks to several months. This is normal and not life threatening though.

2. Liposuction wounds have greater chances of being infected compared to ordinary wounds. This might happen during or after the operation. Bacteria may enter through the open punctures and spread throughout the skin. Skin discoloration, tenderness as well as redness are the common results. Other patients may have fever and vomiting.

3. Embolism is one of the more potent dangers of liposuction. This is when the fat cells enter into the bloodstream through damaged blood vessels. These fat cells can go up to the lungs and brain. When one experiences shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing after the operation(this is most likely to happen within 3 days after the procedure), seek medical help immediately.

4. Another serious danger posed by liposuction is organ failure. Sometimes the surgeon may not be aware that the cannula used for the suctioning is too close to an organ. This is often happening in the stomach liposuction, where the intestines might be punctured by the cannula.

5. There might be fluid imbalance after the operation. In some procedures, fluids are injected into the body so as to reduce fluid loss. This might result into some serious complications such as pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs, or other problems in the kidney.

6. Individuals who have gone through liposuction should also be careful about licodaine overdose. When there is too much lidocaine, the patient may suffer convulsions, shivering and even heart problems.

7. Another possible danger is that one will have more surgical procedures after liposuction that may be more dangerous. Some have other procedures in order to repair the damage done after liposuction. This is usually the case for people who have sagging skin, since liposuction may cause the skin to sag, which is very unsightly. This will lead to longer recovery times and higher risks in developing complications.

Your doctor should inform you of the dangers of liposuction before letting you undergo the procedure. The decision is still in your hands, as you weigh these things, so make the best decision. - 16004

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