Are Blood Clots and Seroma Common Liposuction Complications?

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 contribution will be to get out of bed and begin ambulation as soon as possible.

Good luck and best wishes to you in Las Vegas.

Blood clots are rare and seromas are a bit more common.  Staying active after surgery is the most important thing a patient can do to prevent blood clots.  

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.

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 physician must assess the risk factors that are specific to that patient.
The risk of seroma may be related to the technique and it is generally believed that the incidence is higher following the use of ultrasonic assisted lipoplasty. I am not sure of the incidence following laser assisted lipoplasty.

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 component of blood without the red blood cells. Although clots and seromas are infrequent they are a risk with any physician, despite excellent technique,