Are Blood Clots and Seroma Common Liposuction Complications?

asked 2 years ago by keely in las vegas, nv
Latest answer by Steven Wallach, MD
Question viewed 1,398 times
Tags: blood clot, complication, risk, seroma, side effects

How common are blood clots and seroma after liposuction? How often do I need to move and get up and walk after my surgery to prevent blood clots? I don't want to move too much but at the same time don't want to stay planted in bed.

10 answers to Are Blood Clots and Seroma Common Liposuction Complications?

Complications of liposuction

Hi Keely Although seromas are reportedly a common complication after liposuction, this is a rare and benign finding in my personal practice. I suspect the incidence of seroma is technique driven. On the other hand, blood clots, i.e. deep venous thrombosis is a very uncommon complication but the seriousness is such that it should never be ignored. Your surgeon will take special precautions during surgery to reduce this risk of this dreaded complication and post-operatively your... more

Wayne I. Yamahata, MD
Sacramento Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction complications

Blood clots after liposuction are extremely rare. Seromas are extremely rare in traditional liposuction but more common with other forms of liposuction that use a heating or ultrasonic component.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Blood clots are rare and seromas are uncommon after liposuction

Fortunately, both blood clots and seromas are uncommon complications after liposuction. During surgery, your surgeon may use pneumatic sequential hose to pump the blood in and out of your legs. Post op, you should move around frequently, and when relaxing, frequently flex your leg muscles. It is the natural movement of your muscles that works best to maintain blood flow and reduce the risk of blood clots.

Michael D. Yates, MD
Huntsville Plastic Surgeon

Blood clots and seromas are very rare after liposuction

The only patients I would be concerned about would be someone with a history of DVT. In 30 years of doing liposuction, I have never had a patient with either. You can be up and moving about the next day with only soreness.

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

DVT and seroma after liposuction

I have personally never seen a seroma after traditional tumescent liposuction. I believe that ultrasonic and laser types can lead to seromas however. I have also never had a DVT after liposuction. It is critical to ambulate after the surgery, pump your legs and use the muscles to keep good flow in the veins. The last thing to do is to stay in bed!

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

My liposuction experience in Santa Barbara

This is an excellent question -- you ask about one of the rarest complications of liposuction (blood clots) and one of the more common ones (seroma), according to the literature. What does that mean? I think it varies from individual to individual, but I have personally never seen a seroma in my liposuction practice in Santa Barbara. I usually encourage my patients to wear a conforming compression garment for 3-4 weeks following the liposuction surgery, and i do not perform large volume... more

Adam David Lowenstein, MD
Santa Barbara Plastic Surgeon

Blodd clots (DVT PE) & seroma following liposuction

DVT with PE (clots) is one of the most dreaded complications following liposuction. Fortunately, it is relatively rare. Unfortunately the incidence is not known due to difficulty calculating the number of procedures performed. We have had studies that show a wide variation in the incidence of DVT with PE following liposuction AND abdominoplasty that ranges from 1 in 3,500 to 1 in 40,000. The incidence with liposuction alone certainly should be less than that. In any unique situation, the... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Blood clots and seromas extremely uncommon with well performed liposuction.

Hi. In my entire career in New York City over 20 years, I have seen two small seromas in the upper abdomen, and no blood clots after liposuction. We let patients move about freely after liposuction. Just don't do anything that's painful.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Blood clots and seromsa in liposuction

Any surgical procedure that enters the subcutaneous cavity has a risk of bleeding which can occur after surgery as a delay especially if the patient takes medication that causes bleeding. There are even herbs such as Ginko, Ginger Fish Oil and Garlic that if taken as supplements might induce more bleeding.Clotting can occur if someone is not in good medical shape, too sedentary, or if garments or clothing are too tight and digs into the skin. Seromas are fluid collections of the liquid... more