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Antibiotics Necessary Before or After Lipoma Excision?

asked 2 years ago by Tark in MI
Latest answer by Jill Tomlinson, MBBS, FRACS
Question viewed 2,144 times
Tags: allergy, lipoma

Are antibiotics necessary either before or after Lipoma excision? I'm asking because I've had allergic reactions to every one (about 10) I've ever taken.

12 answers to Antibiotics Necessary Before or After Lipoma Excision?

+2

Antibiotics Necessary Before Lipoma Excision

Yes, it is a must. Any invasive procedure where skin is excised should be preceded by an antibiotic. Even if you are allergic to a lot of them, your surgeon should be able to find one that can be used. It does not have to be for many days. At the minimum one single dose of intravenous antibiotic given before starting the surgery is a must. Regards
Tanveer Janjua, MD

Bedminster Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Limited antibiotics or none

Lipoma excision is a clean surgery. Prophylactic antibiotics could be limited to one dose if needed. If you have such extensive allergies, it might be done with no antibiotics at all. Best of luck!
Hisham Seify, MD, PhD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Antibiotic use for skin surgery

Great question Tark! I do not routinely use antibiotics before or after lipoma excision. This surgery carries a very low risk of infection and antibiotic use can have problems - such as allergy and (on a population level) the development of "superbugs" that are resistant to antibiotics.
Jill Tomlinson, MBBS, FRACS

Melbourne Plastic Surgeon
+1

Lipoma removal with surgery

Lipoma removal is done in a sterile surgical fashion.  Healthy patients are at low risk of infection. However, antibiotics are prescribed on a case by case basis to minimize infection.
Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Not usually.

Hello, Antibiotics in your case would likely be a bad idea. They can be given prophylactically but the practice is a matter of opinion.   Best Regards,   John Di Saia MD
John P. Di Saia, MD

Orange Plastic Surgeon
+1

Antibiotics and lipoma removal

As a general rule, I do not prescribe antibiotics either before, or after lipoma removal.  In my practice the procedure is performed in an on-site accredited OR where the conditions are clean and the procedure is performed in a sterile manner. See this video about "how to pick a plastic surgeon" see video
Darrick E. Antell, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Antibiotics usually NOT necessary before Lipoma Excision

That's a great questions!  And as you can see from all of our answers, the use of antibiotics before clean surgery can vary among different physicians.   Antibiotics are use for two main reasons, to treat a current infections (therapeutic antibiotic use) and to minimize the risk of infection during surgery (prophylactic antibiotic use).  In general, antibiotics are not necessary during clean surgery such as lipoma excisions in healthy individuals. In the past,... more
Margaret Mann, MD

Cleveland Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Antibiotics not usual indicated for most clean cases.

There is very clear evidence in some of the general surgical literature that there is little benefit, if any, to administering antibiotics during the majority of clean cases. In plastic surgery, the majority of the cases are clean. However, there are exceptions to this antibiotic rule in two very common situations. 1) The first is when a sterile foreign body is being implanted (i.e. breast implants). 2) The second is when there is extensive undermining of the soft tissues that... more
Kevin Brenner, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Antibiotics usage up to the surgeon performing lipoma removal

As long as the lipoma removal surgery is performed under sterile technique, there is no real clinical reason to administer antibiotics before or after the procedure. Some dermatologic surgeon or plastic surgeon may choose to do so if the wound is large or the procedure takes longer than expected. Indiscriminate prescribing of pre-op and post-op antibiotics is no longer endorsed by most dermatologic and plastic surgeons.
William Ting, MD

Bay Area Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Antibiotics are not necessary before or after lipoma excision

Dear Tark,  "Clean" skin surgeries do not typically require antibiotics. Assuming there is no active infection in your skin or around the lipoma we can typically avoid giving antibiotics.
Stephen Weber, MD

Lone Tree Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Antibiotics before lipoma excision

Before the excision of a very small lipoma in an easily accessible part of your body, antibiotics are not necessarily required. However, if the lipoma is in a difficult region of your body or if significant amounts of tissue will be lifted or rearranged during the surgery or you require a drain after the surgery, antibiotics would be recommended.  
B. Pat Pazmino, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

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