What are the worst liposuction complications?

The worst liposuction complications include:

- Death: Fat clots (thrombosis) formed in legs can migrate to the heart-blocking the main blood vessel of the lungs (pulmonary artery) and cause an embolism resulting in death.

- Embolism: Fat globules can also escape into the bloodstream and go to the brain or lungs, causing a fatal embolism there.

- Infection: Severe infections can lead to sepsis-blood infection; this can be fatal.

- Hemorrhages: A loss of half a pint or more of blood during liposuction is severe and requires an emergency blood transfusion.

- Hypertonic fluid overload: If saline solution given during liposuction goes into blood vessels, it can reduce the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. This can cause seizures and other neurologic damage resulting in death or severe brain damage.

- Kidney failure: If too much saline solution enters blood vessels during liposuction procedures it can cause kidney damage or lead to kidney failure requiring long term dialysis.

- Nerve damage: There are many areas where skin on skin and superficial fascia, which contains blood vessels and nerves, are in contact with the skin, including the thighs and buttocks. The surgeon cannot always accurately tell how deep the probe is during liposuction and as a result, these superficial blood vessels and nerves can easily get damaged. If nerves are damaged, it can cause numbness or a “burning” sensation that sometimes is never correctable.

- Skin burns: A rare complication of liposuction results from the mechanical heat the probe or cannula generates within the skin during the procedure. The surgeon may not realize the probe has become overheated and inadvertently cause severe burns.

- Seroma or hematoma: In some patients, a seroma or a hematoma (accumulation of clear or bloody fluid under the skin) will develop after liposuction. This often settles by itself, but sometimes is has to be aspirated.

- Necrosis: Rarely, skin can die after liposuction in which case the skin will ultimately develop a black eschar that eventually sheds if it is not first surgically excised.

- Rippled or wavy contour deformities: An experienced competent liposuction surgeon typically knows how to avoid and prevent these contour irregularities, but not all surgeons have this skills and experience. In some patients, if the surgeon removes much fat too aggressively with power-assisted liposuction, skin can contract unevenly and develop unsightly “rippled” or “wavy” looking contour deformities resulting in a deformed and “orange peel” appearance of the skin; this can usually be corrected, at least in part, with secondary surgical procedures.