Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic surgeon
Recent answer posted by Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Q: Risk of death from liposuction? asked by Anonymous
Many procedures that require anesthesia have some risk of death. The risk may be very rare or less rare. The particular figure you are quoting probably never existed even at the height of the rash of deaths associated with liposuction in the 90's.
These coincided with a trend to do liposuction with ultrasonic suction aspirators that required significant infiltration of wetting solution into the fat to avoid a tissue burn and higher volumes of liposuction. The wetting solution contained local anesthetic and when combined with the drugs for general anesthesia, the combination proved to be lethal.
With the Medical Boards of Florida and California leading the way, and recognition on the part of plastic surgeons that this was bad business, limits were placed on the volume of liposuction done at one time. This has helped reduced the incidence of liposuction related deaths.
The one in 5000 case incidence which is extremely high came from a survey study of general plastic surgeons and probably grossly overestimates the death rate. However other studies suggest that the rate is about 1 in 30,000 to 1 in 50,000 cases.
To put this in perspective the risk of dying on a commuter aircraft is about 1:500,000. So these numbers should no be dismissed lightly. If a surgeon tells you that "it has never happened to me in X years of practice," take this with a grain of salt. The incidence even at 1:5000 cases that many surgeon will practice an entire career without experiencing this complication.
Now there is an alternative to having liposuction under general anesthesia. When liposuction is performed under local anesthesia there are virtually no operative deaths. The incidence of death from this type of liposuction is about 1:500,000. Who performs liposuction under local anesthesia? Dermatologic surgeons. Using this method called tumescent liposuction, you can have liposuction safely performed with almost no risk of death.
| Board certification | |
| Education | Undergraduate: B.A. Mathematics and Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1980 Graduate: Executive Program in Management, UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, Los Angeles, 2001 Medical School: UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, M.D. June 23, 1986 |
| Post-medical school training | Internship: LAC/Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, 1987 Residency: University of Chicago/Michael Reese Hospital Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Chicago, Illinois, 1990 Fellowships: Student Fellow in Geriatrics, Multicampus Division of Geriatrics, UCLA School of Medicine, 1982 Student Fellow in Pathology, Department of Pathology, UCLA School of Medicine, 1984 Research Fellow in Oculoplastics and Orbital Surgery with emphasis in Neuroscience, Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine, 1993 Orbital and Oculoplastic Surgery, Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine, 1994 Cosmetic Surgery, The Morrow Institute, Rancho Mirage, California, 1996 |
| Aesthetic medicine experience | 16 years (post-medical training) |
| Professional memberships | American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) |
| Hospital affiliations | Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center |
| Medical or professional license | CA |
| Requesting an appointment with Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD using RealSelf.com is free & confidential. Consultation fee: Mention RealSelf.com for a free cosmetic consultation. | |
| Location | LidLift 11645 Wilshire Blvd Suite 750 Los Angeles, CA View map |
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Treatments offered by Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Asian eyelid surgeryBotox
Brow lift
Cheek augmentation
Cheek lift
Chemical peel
Chin implant
Collagen injection
Dysport
Elevess
Evolence
Eyelid Surgery
Facelift
Fat injections
Fat transfer
Forehead lift
Hyaluronidase
IPL
Juvederm
Laser facelift
Laser neck lift
Laser resurfacing
Latisse
Lip augmentation
Lip lift
Liposculpture
Liposuction
Lower face lift
Macrolane
Mini lift
Neck lift
Non surgical Face lift
Non surgical nose job
Perlane
Phenol peel
Photofacial
Prevelle
PurTox
Quick Lift
Radiesse
Restylane
Retin-A
Scar removal
Silicone injections
Silikon 1000
Skin rejuvenation
SMAS facelift
TCA peel
Tumescent liposuction


