I see no reason to give DMSO prior to liposuction if liposuction is to be performed as an isolated surgery. To my knowledge, DMSO has no dangerous interaction with anesthesia be it IV or inhalation gases. However, after liposuction, DMSO has several salutary effects. DMSO is a wood product well known to both people with expensive horses and athletes at every level. It is basically approved by the FDA to deal with interstitial cystitis. However, the only negative comment that the FDA has made about DMSO is that it has not shown any usefulness in dealing with the aches and pains of rheumatoid arthritis. One of the main uses of DMSO is that it CHEMICALLY opens choke vessels as opposed to these vessels being opened by low oxygen tension. "Choke vessels" is a term given to the redundant blood supply everywhere in the human body. Under low oxygen tension, these redundant blood vessels open, increasing the blood supply and therefore the oxygen supply to areas that might otherwise die without sufficient oxygen.One example of the above choke vessels in action is very often seen on TV. During MMA fights, when one competitor puts a rear naked choke hold on his or her opponent, that person being choked gets a red face. The red face is an indicator of decreased oxygen tension in the head and neck due to the choking off of oxygen supply and therefore opening choke vessels.In plastic surgery, when flaps (tissue with their own blood supply) are elevated from the surrounding tissue, DMSO given four times per day starting four days before surgery increases the blood supply to these areas. Examples of flaps in plastic surgery are facelifts, tummy tucks, and breast lifts/reductions. DMSO used prior to these surgeries increases the likelihood of these flaps surviving, and therefore decreases the likelihood of necrosis of these surgical flaps. With reference to liposuction, DMSO used after surgery decreases post op bruising and swelling. The bruising is actually red blood cells that have been injured and lost their hemaglobin into the tissue. This hemaglobin is cleared away by white blood cells. The more blood supply to an area, the more white blood cells in that area and therefore the quicker clearing of bruises. DMSO is also the world's best anti-inflammatory, therefore it decreases swelling after liposuction as well as in many other medical situations. In summary, DMSO after liposuction will speed the healing process. However, I can see no particular value in topical DMSO prior to liposuction.
