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Body Liposuction Complications

Liposuction is an extremely common plastic surgery, sought after by men and women of all ages who want to remove stubborn pockets of fat that they’ve been unable to address through diet and exercise alone. And although it’s performed for countless individuals each year, there are some risks associated with the procedure. As a patient, it’s important to be aware of the complications that can occur, so you can take the steps necessary to protect yourself.

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Liposuction with Dr. Rady Rahban

My procedure was more than successful. I did not experience the swelling, bruising, or pain that are usually associated with liposuction. All this I credit to his expertise.

Mike L.

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Loose skin

Loose skin is one of the most common side effects of liposuction. Once your unwanted fat has been removed, your skin may suddenly appear loose without its underlying support. The more fat removed, the looser your skin. If you have naturally elastic skin, then it may bounce back in time depending on how aggressive your surgeon is while removing fat. If not, then your skin will likely partially recoil and you will have a smaller silhouette with undesirable loose skin, exchanging one problem for another.

While there are new technologies on the market that can tighten skin while removing fat, this is limited and will not make up for aggressive liposuction. The most important factor is understanding your skin quality before surgery. Poor candidates are often people who have lost a lot of weight and have residual fat, which can actually be excess skin mistaken for fat, and then undergoing aggressive liposuction.

Additional poor candidates are women after childbirth. The stomach skin is no longer tight and does not do well after significant liposuction. Therefore, the most important factor is conservative liposuction taking in the quality of ones skin. Sometimes the solution is not liposuction but rather an excisional procedure like a tummy tuck. Your surgeon should guide you in determining what’s best for you.

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Asymmetrical results

When you have liposuction performed, you want unwanted fat to be removed evenly from both sides of your body. Otherwise, you’ll be left with an odd and asymmetrical appearance.

To prevent this from happening, Dr. Rahban will precisely mark your treatment areas prior to your procedure and remove excess fat as uniformly as possible. In this way, he ensures that both sides of your body are of a similar shape and size after surgery.

Often liposuction is done hurriedly and with the patients in poor positioning on the operating room table. This will invariably lead to asymmetrical results.

Irregular contours

Without a doubt, the most common complication following liposuction is contour irregularities. After liposuction, patients are initially swollen and may appear to have nice contour and be satisfied, only to be greatly disappointed several months later when the swelling resolves. They will start to notice depressions, divots and a rippling appearance. In most cases, these effects are caused by uneven fat removal and poor skin elasticity – and they can be permanent if left untreated.

To prevent contour irregularities, Dr. Rahban is meticulous when preparing for and performing liposuction. Prior to your procedure, he will assess the quality of your skin to determine if you’re at risk for this complication, as this will affect how aggressively he removes your excess volume. During surgery, he will artistically sculpt the area and remove unwanted fat in a uniform manner to ensure a smooth and even outcome—the key being not what he removes but rather what fat he leaves behind.

Liposuction Before & After

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Skin sensation changes

After liposuction, some patients experience numbness or increased sensitivity in the treatment area. When the procedure is performed properly and gently by a seasoned plastic surgeon, these changes are almost always temporary and should decrease within a matter of months.

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Unsightly liposuction scars

Liposuction procedures do not require large incisions. As such, the resulting scars should be small, well healed, and difficult to see. Unfortunately, unsightly scars can appear if the procedure is performed improperly – which is why it is so important to select your plastic surgeon carefully. Poor liposuction scars can be incredibly obvious due to the symmetry, creating embarrassment for patients.

In order to minimize them, the following steps must be taken.

  • Scars need to be made as large as the cannula because if they are too small, the cannulas will cause friction burns and lead to thick, dark scars.
  • Many surgeons leave them open to drain but Dr. Rahban closes them in layers like his tummy tucks to optimize the scar.
  • Making the scars asymmetrical so not to be obvious.

Although liposuction is a very common procedure, it still requires a high level of precision, skill and nuance. To avoid unsightly liposuction scars, select a plastic surgeon who prioritizes scar prevention and personally closes all incisions, like Dr. Rahban.

Bleeding and infection

As with all plastic surgeries, bleeding and infection may occur after liposuction. However, these complications are rare, especially if your doctor takes the appropriate steps before surgery.

For example, Dr. Rahban will have you stop using medications that may promote bleeding for a full two weeks prior to your surgery, including supplements, aspirin and anti-inflammatories. To protect you from possible infections, we’ll provide you with an antiseptic soap to cleanse with the night before and day of surgery. Additionally, you will be given antibiotics before and after the procedure, and strict post-operative guidelines that can ensure a smooth healing process.

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Burns

Burns are an uncommon, but fairly serious complication of liposuction. They can be caused by friction from the cannula or the high levels of heat associated with laser and ultrasound liposuction procedures. Burns are most likely to occur if you have a surgeon who is overly aggressive during the fat removal process. With Dr. Rahban, you can be assured that your safety is his number one priority, and he will perform your procedure conservatively and accurately in a way that ensures that your skin is protected.

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When Dr. Rahban does a consultation with a prospective patient, he wants it to be two things above all others: thorough and honest. He will find out from you just what you want from cosmetic surgery. And he will tell you honestly if you can get the result you want, and how he can best help you do so.

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