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Liposuction in the Abdomen

Abdominal liposuction consists of removing unwanted fat and liquid from the abdomen with the use of a vaccuum-sucking canula. The procedure can also be performed by breaking the fat up into small pieces using an ultrasonic probe and then sucking it out. The surgery is performed for cosmetic purposes and comes with its own set of risks and complications.

  1. Surgical Procedure

    • Abdominal liposuction consists of a surgeon creating an incision in the abdomen, inserting a hollow tube which collects the unwanted fat and liquid and transfers it to a flask. The physician may re-introduce other liquids to replace those taken out using an intravenous line (i.v.).

    Preparation

    • Before a patient is accepted as a candidate for abdominal surgery, a complete physical exam is taken. The patient discusses any health problems and medications with the doctor. Once the doctor approves of the surgery, the patient is given information about the procedure and answers any questions. Just before the surgery, the patient may be given an antibiotic to prevent infection.

    Recovery

    • Depending on the amount of fat removed, the patient may be required to stay in the hospital overnight or be allowed to return home the same day. Follow-up care to the procedure usually requires monitoring a drainage tube inserted near the wound, wearing tight bandages that compress the skin and taking an antibiotic to ward off infections.

    Complications

    • Like most medical procedures, abdominal liposuction holds several risks. These could include infection, embolism (fat clots), puncture wounds in the surrounding organs, seroma (a pooling of serum where tissue used to be), nerve compression, swelling, the death of skin cells, burns (caused by ultrasound probes), fluid imbalance, and anesthesia complications. In addition, there have been liposuction fatalities.

    Side Effects

    • Liposuction surgery often results in some pain once the anesthesia stops working. Swelling will also be present, possibly for months. The incision and drainage tube location will also leave a scar; however, the scars will fade a little with time.

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