Fear of dying in liposuction surgery

Question

34 year-old male in very good health. 5' 11" and 185 pounds. Have never had a surgical procedure. Considering abdominal liposuction and etching and small chin area liposuction to improve appearance. Board certified plastic surgeon and a board certified anesthesiologist in a certified surgical suite (AAAASF). How low is risk of a major complication / death?

Gregory DeLange, MD · Answer

Liposuction has proven to be one of the safest plastic surgeries of all.   Done properly, the risks are basically zero.  Large volume liposuctions (over 5 liters) has an occasional, yet significant, complication of a pulmonary embolus of either fat or a blood clot.  The pain is also quite surprisingly minimal.  With proper technique and good compression following the procedure, pain is similar to a very intense workout that diminishes quite quickly.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Please see an expert in VASER contouring.  These procedures although more aggressive require expertise  and skill and are VERY safe if done by someone experienced in certified centers.  After care is essential as is lymphatic massage, RF treatments like venus legacy/exilis and compression.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Aldo Guerra, MD · Answer

This is very rare and you have chosen the best from what I read about your statement. As long as you're healthy, then you should do well. It's normal to feel this way. Speak with your plastic surgeon about reassurance.Best wishes, Dr. ALDO

Malcolm A. Lesavoy, MD, FACS · Answer

It is always important to ask your surgeon of severe and minor possible complications, and death obviously is one of them, but soooo unlikely that it is rarely discussed. The likelyhood of death with a board certified surgeon and a board certified anesthesiologist, is less than you dying in a car accident.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Liposuction is a very safe procedure.

I will go as far as saying it's a bizarrely safe procedure when done by someone who has good manual dexterity, clinical judgment and proper medical training.

My practice is devoted exclusively to liposuction and fat transfer procedures.

In the last six years I have performed over 3000 liposuction procedures.

Of these I've only had one major complication.

The patient had an infection and requiring hospitalization for six days. She had a small incision approximately 2 inches to drain infected fluid and eventually had a good outcome other than the 2 inch scar.

Fatal complications from liposuction are generally related to accidental puncture of internal organs such as the bowels, lungs or heart.

Of these bow perforations are probably the most common.

They love comes from mild perforations are often related to delayed diagnosis.

In other words if the plastic surgeon recognizes the complication early the patients can be treated accordingly.

Pushing a liposuction cannula into the abdomen or chest is in my opinion something that would only happen if someone does not have good dexterity or experience

Other serious complications include infections and fat embolism's.

The overall infection rate from liposuction is very very low.

Lower than many other surgical procedures.

I finished medical school in 1994.

I've seen one fatality from cosmetic surgery(not my patient).

I'm 53 years old and I personally know for people who've died in car accidents.

I have had many many many more patients than I do personal friends or acquaintances.

I would say driving home on New Year's eve would be significantly more dangerous than having liposuction.

In regards to having abdominal etching please make sure your doctor has performed many of these procedures first.

It's a procedure that is very patient specific on who will get good results and who will be disfigured.

Bad outcomes from liposuction are a real issue and can cause devastation, Though obviously very different than a medical complication.

There are few guarantees in life.

It sounds like you've done your homework and while no one can guarantee A perfect outcome it is highly unlikely he you'll have a serious complication from this procedure.Most patients have some anxiety before any medical procedure.

Yours sounds a little bit more extreme.

It's possible you may have an underlying anxiety disorder or particular fear of medical procedures.

Some doctors will prescribe anti anxiety medication's selectively for patients to use before the procedure to help quell some of the pre-procedure anxiety.

You could ask your surgeon if he or she would be willing to give you a limited amount of anti-anxiety medication.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom M.D.

Jon A. Perlman, MD (retired) · Answer

The risk of death after routine liposuciton done by a competent trained physician is probably on the order of 1 in 50,000. If you can't calm yourself about undergoing the procedure then put it off until you're more comfortable with the idea. I will tell you that in my experience patients wake up from surgery thinking that they were asleep for only 10 minutes and don't even realize that the procedure was performed. Try to relax and recognize that in the end you'll realize that it was a simple experience that was over in "the blink of an eye."

Jon A Perlman MD FACS

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery

Extreme Makeover Surgeon ABC TV

Best of Los Angeles Award 2015, 2016

Beverly Hills, Ca

Jon A Perlman MD FACS

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery

Extreme Makeover Surgeon ABC TV

Best of Los Angeles Award 2015, 2016

Beverly Hills, Ca

Fear of dying in liposuction surgery

Answers (6)

More Liposuction Questions

My skin is loose and not smooth after lipo. 5 weeks post op (photos)

Lipo of the stomach and acid reflux: I am 3 weeks post op and I have a lot of acid reflux. Is anyone else like this?

Will one light beer hurt me if I drink it 24 hours before surgery?

8 weeks post lipo = lumps, and uneven L flank

Long term effects of liposuction?

how do you reduce the size of a large mons pubis without surgery?

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS