What is the risk of a fat embolism with Liposuction?

The risk of fat embolism from low volume liposuction is EXTREMELY low. Your risk of thromboembolism (blood clots embolizing to the lungs) is higher, but still VERY low. This should not be confused with fat injection/grafting procedures for buttock augmentation, where several fat embolism events have been reported. In summary, statistics do not justify your fears. The qualifications of your surgeon and the proper accreditation of the surgical facility are the most important measures for your safety. Best wishes!

A fat embolism is very rare with liposuction.  I have seen cases in the research literature but have not heard of one otherwise.  Most of the concern for fat embolism is with fat transfer procedures, specifically buttock fat transfers and in general the risk of embolism is considered low as long as the fat is placed into the proper plane.   If you are not doing a fat transfer procedure, but liposuction alone, your risk of fat embolism is very low. 

The risk of a fat embolism is extremely low. For best results with liposuction, I recommend a hi definition procedure like VASER liposuction. I use VASER HI DEF with ThermiRF and fat grafting to get the most fat removal, skin tightening, contour and definition. This combination will give you the most toned result. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a hi definition physique expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Thanks for the question and I really like that we are now seeing more safety related questions which should direct patients to more experienced and more safety conscious physicians. I have written the safety recommendations for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons on Liposuction. Awake or light sedation low volume liposuction is the safest procedure that is performed in all of aesthetic surgery. There is no general anesthesia risk of blood clots and the low volume fat reduction or removal has a very low risk of fat embolism because no fat is being pushed into the blood vessels as what happens with fat transfers. Thanks for the question and you should feel very safe and comfortable going into your procedure

GrazianiJr.   The primary risks of liposuction surgery are contour irregularities and asymmetry. Blood clots or fat embolism after most types of liposuction surgery are quite uncommon. However the risk does increase when longer procedures are performed, such as multiple areas of liposuction.   Also, fat embolism is more commonly seen after BBL surgery, and plastic surgeons are working diligently to decrease that risk.  Consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon to review all aspects of liposuction, including risks of complications. Good luck.

The risk of fat embolus from liposuction alone is fairly low. The risk increases in the setting of liposuction with fat transfer.Fat embolus is a very serious and known complication of fat transfer (which has been recently spotlighted in the media). While it is true, injection of donor fat into the infra-muscular plane (within the muscle) increases fat viability, this does come with a significant increase in risk. There are large vessels deep to and within the muscle which can be inadvertently injected while grafting leading to a fat embolus. The consequences of such a complication are very serious and life threatening.
At American Society of Plastic Surgeons Hot Topics (2016), data from AAAASF (ambulatory surgical certifying body) was presented, suggesting that BBL/gluteal lipoaugmentation demonstrates a dramatically higher risk profile than other surgeries. The Aesthetic Surgery and Educational and Research Fund has convened a task force as well. The hope is that we will have more concrete guidelines for addressing these very serious complications.
That being said, the safest way to avoid fat emboli is to stay in the subcutaneous plane (at the expense of fat viability) and avoid the deeper muscular plane. If grafting of the deep plane is planned, surgeons should consider blunt cannulas and aspiration prior to injection. Using a supra-gluteal approach to minimize the risk of inadvertent intravascular injection has also been proposed. While this will likely impact graft viability negatively, it will also lower the risk of a serious complication.
According to AAASF data the risk of death from BBL will range from 1:3000 (subcutaneous grafting should reduce this risk relative to intramuscular grafting). By comparison the risk of fatal complication from abdominoplasty is 1:13,000. It is unclear how the relative risk falls with subcutaneous injection vs. intramuscular injection (however, in all likelihood, it is less).
No result is worth risking one's life for. I find that the patients who focus not on the volumization but rather the contouring benefits of the liposuction are happier than those whose sole goal is size. Relatively speaking, the subcutaneous plane is the "safe" plane.
In summary, the liposuction procedure can be safely performed, however, they should be performed by a board certified (ABPS) plastic surgeon with experience. When considering fat transfer, in addition, these risks should be discussed as well as the strategies being employed to avoid them.