Liposuction: How Much is Safe and Who Should Avoid the Surgery?

Lipo’ in Liposuction refers to ‘lipid’ or ‘fat.’ Thus liposuction, also known as lipoplasty, or body contouring, means a procedure of cosmetic surgery that involves reduction of body fat or lipid through highly advanced and scientific technologies. Liposuction treatments and surgery help to eliminate the excess fat from different parts of your body that deposit lipid such as the thigh, arms, and armpits, hips, buttocks, belly fat, or fat in the backside and parts of your neck, and therefore helps to provide a beautiful shape to your body. Liposuction is a surgery that helps to get rid of excess body lipids, but it might not be safe for all. There are certain groups of people who are strictly prohibited to undergone any cosmetic surgery like liposuction. So, one must positively seek expert’s opinions before undergoing liposuction surgery and should take prior preparations and precaution steps that are necessary.

What Is Liposuction?

Liposuction is a unique procedure under cosmetic surgery that helps in fat removal from different parts of the body and therefore brings proper contours and shapes to the body. Liposuction or lipoplasty is an overall weight-loss mechanism. After a person undergoes liposuction or any type of cosmetic surgery that includes weight loss or loss of fat from different body parts, the skin prepares new contours in the places of surgery and thus re-shapes the body properly.

However, the proper contouring of the body after the liposuction surgery depends largely on the tone and texture of the skin. If the skin is elastic, then liposuction will have good effects, making the skin smooth and tight. But if the skin is thin and it is not so poor elastic, then after the liposuction surgery, the skin may appear loose and lack enough elasticity in the treated areas.

One needs to keep in mind that liposuction is not a skin treatment or a mere cosmetic surgery that is meant to cover different types of skin problems such as cellulite dimpling, or for removing stretch marks, but, it is a unique technique that involves a suction procedure to eliminate excess lipid or fat deposits from several parts of the body. One must have a proper diet and a healthy body functioning before getting involved in liposuction surgery. It is very important to consult an expert cosmetic surgeon who is well aware of the treatments related to liposuction and to do prior homework before starting the cosmetic procedure of lipoplasty.

What Happens After Liposuction?

According to certain experts and some experienced and certified plastic surgeons, after the liposuction surgery recovery can be of two types: immediate recovery that can occur within a few days to weeks after the surgery, when the person can perform all the necessary activities and long-term effect, that requires almost 3 months to recover, for example, to decrease skin swelling and settle other issues related to the surgery. But this recovery process and its duration vary from person to person depending on the procedure of treatment and the type of their skin.

Preparations And Cautions To Be Taken Before Liposuction Surgery:

Before going for liposuction surgery, your cosmetic surgeon or the concerned health care experts will give you some specific information about the surgery and some necessary guidelines that will be crucial to prepare before the liposuction procedure and to carry out the surgery successfully. Some such guidelines are as follows:

• The doctor might check your medical history to ensure that you did not have any prior case of a serious health condition, such as allergies, diabetes, thrombosis, cardiac and cardio- vascular diseases like high blood pressure, kidney problems, and many others.
• The doctor will make a note of the medications and supplements you are having and for which health conditions to know that the surgery does not cause any side effect.
• The doctor will prescribe you to avoid smoking and alcohol, or any kind of addictive drugs before the surgery. You must even stop smoking after one month post- liposuction surgery.
• Do not have ibuprofen or aspirin two weeks before surgery.
• Lower down the amount of salt in your diet
• Drink plenty of water

Complications In Cosmetic Prcedure And Liposuction:

Some complications related to liposuction surgery are as follows:

• bruising
• redness, itching, rashes or discoloration of skin in the areas of treatment
• irregular texture of skin, like abnormal waving and contour deformity
• pain and damage in your nerves
• scarring of skin
• skin necrosis that leads to death and damage to your skin cells
• reactions of anesthesia and other medications after the surgery

These complications can occur most often in the case of a cosmetic procedure like liposuction and can be fatal if left untreated. So, it is very important to consult your health care professional as soon as you notice the above symptoms occur in your body.

Is Liposuction Good for You?

Liposuction is a serious surgery and may not be good for everybody. Experts opine that there are some people who are well fitted for liposuction surgery, while some people should strictly avoid the procedure.

People who are good to go for liposuction surgery:

• People with no or low amounts of excess skin
• Skin is perfectly tight and elasticity
• Have good skin and muscle tone
• Have fat deposits that will not go away with diet or exercise
• Have good body shape and they have proper health
• Do not have obesity
• Those who avoid smoking

People who should avoid liposuction surgery:

• Those who smoke profusely
• Those who have chronic health problems
• Those who have weak immune system
• People who are obese or overweight
• People with saggy skin
• Those who have diabetes or conditions like deep vein thrombosis
• Take medications that can increase the risk of bleeding, such as blood thinners

Risk Factors of Having Liposuction Surgery:

Liposuction surgery involves potential risks in several cases and thus one needs to be very cautious about the surgery and get professional help whenever necessary.

Risks that develop during liposuction surgery:

Some adverse health conditions can occur during liposuction surgery takes place. Some such cases include:

• rupture of wounds or injuries in several vital organs of the body
• complications caused by anesthesia and medications related to the surgery
• burns from equipment, such as ultrasound probes
• permanent damage of nerve cells
• shock

Risks immediately after the liposuction surgery:

Experts say that liposuction surgery is not safe for all and can cause severe risks among some people just after the surgery takes place. Some risks are as follows:

• Lung problems including excess fluid and some blood clots in the lungs
• Clots of lipid or fat cells in the body
• Different types of skin infections
• Hematoma, a process that involves bleeding under the surface of the skin
• Seroma, which means fluid leaking under the skin surface
• Edema or swelling of the skin
• Skin necrosis that causes damage and death of skin cells
• Side effects of anesthesia and other medications after the surgery
• Heart and kidney problems
• Death (in rare cases)

There are some potential risks that can develop during the recovery period such as:

• The shape or contours of the body might become improper
• Skin may become abnormally wavy or bumpy
• Change in sensations of skin like numbness, bruising, pain, swelling, and soreness
• One may develop rashes and several types of skin infections in the treated portions of the body
• Imbalances in fluid
• Scars on the body surface
• Changes in color and texture or tone of the skin

Side Effects of Liposuction:

Though liposuction helps to get rid of excess body lipids from the parts of your body, there are some potential and long-term side effects related to this surgery and one must be very careful before thinking about liposuction surgery to be the process for fat removal. Though the side effects can vary from person to person, there are some common downsides of this surgery. Some such downsides of liposuction surgery can be listed here as:

• Though this surgery removes the fat cells and excess lipid from your body, but if in any case you grow the fat cells again your body, then there will be high chance that the fat will penetrate deeper under the skin which will be a lethal condition if they grow near your heart, kidney, or liver.
• After the liposuction therapy, huge changes can occur in skin sensation and some nerves can get damaged permanently, in worst cases, some people can develop symptoms of depression in the areas of treatment or the skin in the suctioned area may become abnormally wavy or bumpy that can never be rectified in future.