Common Lipo Side Effects

NOTE: You cannot control how you heal or at what speed you recover from liposculpture. Every patient will heal differently. Most people will find the recovery to be very easy, but some people’s bodies will react differently and in unexpected ways. The following list describes the most common side effects reported while healing.

1. Post operative soreness takes the form of deep muscle soreness and usually improves over the following 2-14 days. Some patients experience almost no soreness and others are sore for an extended time. The degree to which you are sore is individual, but does usually relate to how much fat was removed and how many areas were treated. The more fat removed and the recovery will take longer.
2. Minimal bruising in the treatment area is common. The more extensive the liposuction procedure, the more bruising one can expect. It is normal to see some bruises appear and disappear from day to day. Almost all purple bruising should be gone in 2 weeks though some people remain a little "blotchy" for a month or two.
3. Both males and females may experience painless (but odd) swelling and discoloration in the pubic region after abdominal liposuction, which may last up to 10 days. It can look very dramatic, but is not a medical problem.
4. Patients report the most swelling during the 4th-7th days. Due to the effects of gravity, our ankles may swell if we treated your thighs or knees. Similarly, your wrists and hands may swell if we treated your arms.
5. Some patients experience feeling itchy or sunburned during the 5th-7th days. Go ahead and gently scratch your skin, but do not pick at the skin or incision sites. Use Benadryl or anti-itch cream as needed. There is no secret to making this phase go away. This phase can last a month or two.
6. The incision will be fully closed in 2-7 days, but will be visible for up to a year. After a year most patients have difficulty identifying where the incisions were, however due to individual skin irregularities, few patients do have small lifetime scars.
7. Some people experience skin numbness in the treated areas for up to two months. This is especially common in the chin area, but can also happen in the abdomen or thighs. All your skin will eventually return to regular sensitivity.
8. It is very common for patients to experience burning, pins-and-needles, or "rubber band snapping" feelings under their skin at random times. This is the result of your nerves coming back to normal. This can last up to 6 months.
9. Some patients report experiencing slight depression, which improves as the bruising fades.
10. Some women experience menstrual irregularities or delayed onset of the first monthly menstruation, which nearly always resolves by the next cycle.
11. Many patients retain fluid after the procedure, and feel as though they have gained weight and their clothes are temporarily tighter. This usually lasts no longer than a month, but if you have a tendency to retain fluid, you may stay swollen longer. You should see steady improvement over time, but for your ease of mind avoid daily progress monitoring.
12. Flushing of the face, neck, and upper chest may occur after liposuction and last for up to 2 weeks.
13. A slight temperature elevation (no higher than 101) during the first few weeks is a natural effect of the body's reaction to the liposuction procedure. Patients with elevated temperatures usually feel fine.
14. Some rare chin patients report that their lips are slow to react. This is not nerve damage, but a temporary side effect of jaw swelling.
15. Treated areas may remain HARD and LUMPY for up to 6 months. Some patients get incredibly hard and can bounce a quarter off their treated area. Arm liposculpture patients often feel a hard almond size lump near their armpit or get ropey looking lines in their arms. Chin liposculpture patients sometimes get a pea size nodule under their chin. This is normal and due to inflammation and the healing process. It is normal to look better in the morning and get progressively lumpy throughout the day. All hardness will eventually go away within 6 months.
16. The 2nd and 3rd week are sometimes marked by questioning of whether or not their procedure "worked." This is normal. Remember that results are not usually immediate, and during the healing process you can actually sometimes look worse. Final results take 6 months. By the 4th week nearly every patient is very pleased with the initial results—and they’re delighted that the results will get better with time.

If you feel that you’re having a medical emergency, call 911. Our office does not provide emergency care.