14 months post liposuction 360 and I still feel numbness in back area. Should I be concerned?

Thank you for your question. Numbness is very common after liposuction. In fact, I counsel patients that they will experience some temporary sensory loss in the areas that are liposuctioned. Sensation usually recovers in six to eight weeks, although various factors such as age and overall health can limit this recovery. The amount of blood loss doesn’t necessarily correlate with the degree of numbness, but it may indicate a more aggressive liposuction procedure. Because you are a year out, you may not regain complete sensation, although this will not compromise function in any significant way.

Dear Cool705295,
I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment, it would be difficult to determine what went wrong. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment or ask for a second opinion. Only after a thorough examination, you can get proper recommendations and advice.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

With any surgery, there is a risk of some level of chronic numbness. While it's common to have numbness for a few months after liposuction, it's not common to have it present after a year of healing. Having a blood transfusion after a liposuction procedure is also not common. The numbness may or may not be related to the extent of blood loss. Either way, the typical approach to numbness and tingling is stimulation. Stimulation in the form of massage as well as hot and cold therapy can potentially help with sensory disturbances.

Hello @Cool705295, thank you for your question. Is important that the patient consult this with the doctor that performed the procedure, because it depends on the surgical technique. Almost always in a surgery there are predetermined times. We speak that the inflammatory process can reach almost 3 months and in those three months it is very normal to feel discomfort, burning sensation, numbness, some kind of feeling of limitation but the healing process is maintained until the year. It is important to be clear that there are some sensations that may be normal but it is essential to talk to your specialist. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP)

Change in sensation is a risk with liposuction. Typically this resolves as swelling resolves, but in some cases the changes can be permanent. If it has not improved one year after surgery it may be permanent.

It is very unusual to have permanent numbness with liposuction, but it can occur, especially with aggressive liposuction. At this point in time, it may continue to stay numb.

When proper technique is used liposuction should not lead to significant blood loss.
I’m guessing your procedure was done under general anesthesia and most likely your surgeon failed to put in proper amounts of tumescence solution and to give the medication in the solution sufficient time to work.
Personally I do liposuction with patients awake so injecting tumescent solution is mandatory or the patient will be in pain. that solution should be used by all surgeons regardless of the type of anesthesia. tumescent solution contains two drugs lidocaine and Epinephrine. epping Efron causes blood vessels to severely constrict throughout the fat making the procedure have very little blood loss under ideal circumstances.
Some surgeons fail to spend the appropriate time to inject the solution properly and wait the full 15 minutes for epinephrine to be in full affect. when that’s the case the procedure becomes bloody and patients can be left bruised for months. Needing blood transfusions after liposuction is almost unheard of in the United States. It would be worthwhile to make sure you don’t have a bleeding disorder just in case this was not related to how the procedure was performed.
It’s simply unusual for people to bleed that much from Liposuction.
Most people regain normal skin sensation about three months after the procedure. With substantial hematoma‘s or blood in the tissues will be inflammation for much longer as the body tries to dissolve all the blood clots diffused throughout the fat. your experience with both numbness and excess of blood loss from the procedure are fairly unusual.
I don’t think there’s much anyone can do to help speed up sensation. Even in cases of more severe neurapraxia full sensation almost always comes back after liposuction.
Was there anything unusual about your procedure other than what you described? equipment used? New equipment for the surgeon?
Done by board-certified plastic surgeon in a accredited facility in the United States?
I don’t think there’s much plastic surgeons can do to speed up the return of normal sensation. if things have not returned by 14 months then you May be left with some long-term sensation changes.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD