re. Plastic Surgery

Risks

Anaesthesia is an essential part of your surgical procedure, but it does come with potential risks:

  • Sore Throat or Numbness: The tube used during anaesthesia might cause your throat to become sore or induce numbness.
  • Intravenous Line Complications: The site of the intravenous line may sometimes become painful or infected.
  • Nausea and Vomiting: These symptoms can occur post-surgery, but contemporary anaesthesia techniques and post-operative medications usually help control this discomfort.
  • Constipation: This can be a side effect of strong pain medications prescribed after surgery.
  • Severe Allergic Reactions: These are rare complications from anaesthetic drugs, occurring in roughly 1 in 10,000 cases. Your anaesthetist can discuss these potential reactions with you.
  • Local and general anaesthesia carry risk: There is the possibility of complications, injury, and even death from all forms of surgical anaesthesia or sedation.
  • Bleeding There’s a risk, though uncommon, of bleeding during or after surgery. Post-operative bleeding could necessitate emergency treatment or even a blood transfusion. To reduce the risk of bleeding, avoid aspirin, anti-inflammatory medications, and certain dietary supplements for ten days before surgery. Hematomas may develop post-injury at any time. Please note that blood transfusions, if needed, carry the risk of blood-related infections like hepatitis and HIV. Medications like Heparin, used to prevent blood clots, can also cause bleeding and decreased blood platelets.
  • Infection: An infection is quite uncommon but can occur after any surgery. If an infection were to occur, additional treatment, including antibiotics or further surgery, may be necessary.
  • Scarring: All surgery leaves scars, some more visible than others. Although good wound healing after a surgical procedure is expected, abnormal scars may occur. In some cases scars may require surgical revision or treatment.
  • Pain: You will feel some pain after surgery, although it usually can be controlled with pain medication. Chronic pain may occur very infrequently from nerves becoming trapped in scar tissue after surgery.
  • Allergic Reactions: Although rare, allergic reactions can occur due to tape, suture material, glues, blood products, topical preparations or injected agents used during the procedure. Serious systemic reactions, including shock (anaphylaxis), can occur due to drugs used during surgery and prescription medications. If an allergic reaction occurs, additional treatment may be necessary.
  • Deep Venous Thrombosis: Lengthy surgical procedures may increase the risk of developing blood clots within the venous system. Factors like air travel, inactivity, certain medications, and medical conditions can further elevate this risk. It’s crucial to discuss any personal history of blood clots, leg swelling, or the use of estrogen or birth control pills with your surgeon, as these may contribute to this condition.
  • Pulmonary Complications: Pulmonary complications, such as blood clots (pulmonary emboli), fat deposits (fat emboli), or partial lung collapse can occur after general anaesthesia. Both pulmonary and fat emboli can be life-threatening or even fatal if they migrate to the lungs.
  • Cardiac Complications: Any surgical and anaesthetic procedure carries inherent risks of cardiac complications, even in patients without symptoms. Should these complications arise, hospitalisation and additional treatment may be necessary. Symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, or irregular heartbeat warrant immediate medical attention.
  • Unsatisfactory Result: While good results are expected, they cannot be guaranteed. You may be disappointed with the outcome, experiencing issues like asymmetry, unsatisfactory or highly visible surgical scar location, unacceptable visible deformities, poor healing, wound disruption, and loss of sensation.
  • Reoperation: In the course of treatment, a range of factors may affect the long-term outcome of surgery. If complications occur, additional procedures or treatments may be needed. To attain optimal results, secondary surgery might be required. While other complications and risks are possible, they are generally less common. It’s important to note that in some cases, achieving optimal results may necessitate more than one surgical procedure.
  • Long-Term Results: Changes in the appearance of your body can occur due to aging, sun exposure, weight loss, weight gain, pregnancy, menopause, or other factors not related to your surgery.
  • Female Patient Information: It’s crucial to inform your surgeon if you use birth control pills, estrogen replacement, or if you suspect pregnancy. Many medications, including antibiotics, may neutralize the preventive effect of birth control pills, allowing for conception and pregnancy.
  • Medications: Numerous adverse reactions can occur due to the consumption of over-the-counter, herbal, and/or prescription medications. Ensure that your surgeon is aware of any prescribed or over-the-counter medications that you are currently taking. This information is crucial for your safety and it is your responsibility to provide it. Be aware that prescribed pain medications after surgery can affect your cognition and motor coordination. Avoid driving, operating complex machinery, making significant decisions, and consuming alcohol while on these medications. Always follow the prescribed instructions when taking your medication.
  • Mental Health Disorders and Elective Surgery: It’s essential for all patients considering elective surgery to hold realistic expectations focused on improvement, not perfection. Complications or suboptimal results can occur, sometimes necessitating additional surgery, and can often be stressful. Please discuss any history of significant emotional depression or mental health disorders with your surgeon prior to surgery. While many individuals may derive psychological benefit from the results of elective surgery, its effects on mental health cannot be precisely predicted.
  • Smoking, Second-Hand Smoke Exposure, Nicotine Products (Patch, Gum, Nasal Spray): Patients who currently smoke, use tobacco products, or nicotine products (patch, gum, or nasal spray) are at higher risk for serious surgical complications such as skin necrosis, delayed healing, and additional scarring. Similar complications may affect those exposed to second-hand smoke due to nicotine exposure. Moreover, smokers may face significant negative effects on anaesthesia and recovery from anaesthesia, including coughing and potentially increased bleeding. Individuals who avoid exposure to tobacco smoke or nicotine-containing products significantly reduce their risk of these complications. Refrain from smoking at least 6 weeks before surgery and until your surgeon confirms it is safe to resume, if desired.
  • Obesity (Body Mass Index greater than 30): Obesity can significantly increase the risk of surgical complications, including but not limited to wound dehiscence, fat necrosis, anaesthesia complications, and seroma formation. Please be fully aware of these potential risks when contemplating surgical procedures. It’s important to maintain a stable weight between your consultation and surgery. Please note, should there be significant weight gain during this period, your surgeon may decide to postpone or cancel the surgery. If you do experience weight gain after your consultation, promptly contact our office to schedule another consultation. This will allow us to assess any potential impact on your surgical outcome or risk profile.

Surgery-Specific Risks

  • Seroma: Fluid accumulations frequently occur between the skin and the abdominal wall. Should this problem persist, it may require additional procedures for drainage of fluid.
  • Skin Loss: Some skin or tissue areas might die, necessitating frequent dressing changes or further surgery to remove the non-healed tissue. Smokers face a higher risk of skin loss and complications with wound healing.
  • Skin Discoloration/Bruising: Bruising is a common occurrence after abdominoplasty. The skin around the surgical site may exhibit changes in colour, becoming either lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. While unusual, these changes in skin pigmentation may persist for an extended period and, in rare cases, may be permanent.
  • Asymmetry: Abdominoplasty may not always result in a symmetrical body appearance. Various factors, such as skin texture, fatty deposits, skeletal prominence, and muscle tone, can contribute to a natural imbalance in body features. If asymmetry is significant, further surgical intervention may be necessary to enhance the symmetry.
  • Contour Irregularities: Irregularities in shape and contour, including depressions, may be evident after abdominoplasty. You might observe or feel skin wrinkling. At the ends of the incisions, residual skin irregularities, also known as “dog ears,” or skin pleating due to excess redundant skin can occur. These may improve over time, or may require surgical correction.
  • Wound Separation: There’s a chance that wounds may separate following surgery. If this occurs, additional treatment or surgery may be necessary to manage the condition.
  • Delayed Healing: Disruption of the wound or delayed healing is a possibility. Some areas of the abdomen may take a longer time to heal normally.
  • Swelling: Swelling is a common occurrence post-surgery and it may take weeks or months to completely subside.
  • Sutures: Many surgical techniques involve deep sutures, which you may notice after your surgery. In some instances, sutures may poke through the skin spontaneously, become visible, or cause irritation, necessitating their removal.
  • Umbilicus: There’s a risk of malposition, scarring, an unacceptable appearance, or even loss of the umbilicus (navel).
  • Pubic Distortion: Although rare, some women may experience distortion of their labia and pubic area. If this happens, additional treatment or surgery may be necessary to correct it.
  • Impact of Future Pregnancy: Abdominoplasty does not generally impede your capability to conceive or bear children. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that a future pregnancy may result in the stretching of your abdominal muscles and skin that have been repaired or tightened during this procedure, potentially necessitating a revision surgery. If you are planning to have children in the near future, you might want to consider postponing your abdominoplasty until after your family is complete to maintain the outcomes of the surgery.
  • Fat Necrosis: The death of deep fatty tissue in the skin may produce areas of firmness within the skin. Additional surgery to remove areas of fat necrosis could be necessary. Contour irregularities in the skin might result from fat necrosis.
  • Damage to Deeper Structures: Any surgical procedure carries the potential risk of injury to deeper structures like nerves, blood vessels, muscles, internal organs and lungs (pneumothorax). The possibility of such injury varies with the type of procedure performed and can be temporary or permanent.
  • Bruising: Expect bruising around the eyes for 2 to 3 weeks after surgery, which will diminish over time.
  • Swelling: Temporary swelling post-operation is normal, leading to a sensation of tightness that will gradually subside.
  • Changes in Vision: Temporary vision changes may occur after blepharoplasty but typically resolve swiftly. Permanent changes are rare.
  • Itching, Watering or Dryness of Eyes: Post-operative itching, watering, or eye dryness is common, often managed with eyedrops or artificial tears. Persistent symptoms are uncommon.
  • Corneal Exposure: Difficulties in eyelid closure can rarely occur, potentially leading to corneal dryness or even ulceration and the need for further treatment or surgery.
  • Scleral Show: During recovery, more of the eye’s white area may be visible beneath the iris, particularly in patients with pre-existing lax lower eyelids.
  • Eyelash Hair Loss: Some patients may lose eyelashes in the area where the eyelid skin was elevated, which could be temporary or permanent.
  • Loss of Sensation of the Lid Skin: A decrease in skin sensation at the lashes may happen, typically recovering over several months, potentially affecting makeup application.
  • Asymmetry: Natural differences between the left and right eyelids may result in some asymmetry remaining after surgery. Significant disparities may require revision surgery.
  • Scarring: Incision scars are inevitable but usually fade significantly over time, taking up to 2 years to mature. Poor healing leading to prominent scarring may need additional treatment.
  • Ectropian: Outward turning of the lower eyelid is a rare complication that might necessitate further corrective surgery.
  • Lower Lid Retraction: An uncommon scarring effect can cause the lower eyelid to retract and may require additional surgery if it leads to exposure and ectropion.
  • Upper Lid Closure: Excess removal of upper eyelid skin can complicate closure, a condition that usually improves with reduced swelling but sometimes requires further surgery.
  • Diplopia (Double Vision): An infrequent complication of lower lid surgery that can lead to double vision, potentially requiring more surgery.
  • Blindness: While extremely rare, the risk of blindness is present, estimated at 1 in 40,000 surgeries. When it does happen, it is typically because of bleeding around the eye, the risk of which is increased by factors such as smoking and pre-existing eye conditions.
  • Signs of Ageing: Eyelid surgery will not halt the aging process, nor will it address “crow’s feet,” dark circles, or sagging eyebrows.
  • Wound Healing Issues: Wound separation, delayed healing, and wound breakdown may require additional treatment, including surgical intervention.
  • Seroma: Fluid accumulations frequently occur between the skin and the abdominal wall. Should this problem persist, it may require additional procedures for drainage of fluid.
  • Skin Loss: Some skin or tissue areas might die, necessitating frequent dressing changes or further surgery to remove the non-healed tissue. Smokers face a higher risk of skin loss and complications with wound healing.
  • Lymphoedema: Rarely patients can develop chronic lymphoedema of the upper limb including the hand.
  • Nerve Injury: This may occur either with direct trauma or by stretching of nerves. Generally, it will recover without intervention.
  • Numbness: This may involve the area around the scar or extend into the forearm.
  • Pain: The severity and duration of post-operative pain vary with each individual patient. This will be managed by your anaesthetist. Pain may be chronic if a nerve becomes entrapped within scar tissue.
  • Recurrent Lax Skin: Occasionally due to the quality of your skin, fluctuations in your weight or subsequent pregnancies, you may develop some recurrence of your skin laxity.
  • Skin Graft: Rarely, the tissues become tight during the operation, and the wound will need to be temporarily closed with a skin graft.
  • Skin Discolouration/Bruising: Bruising is common after brachioplasty. While unusual, changes in skin pigmentation may persist for an extended period, and in rare cases, may be permanent.
  • Asymmetry: Brachioplasty may not always result in a symmetrical body appearance. Various factors, such as skin texture, fatty deposits, skeletal prominence, and muscle tone, can contribute to a natural imbalance in body features. If asymmetry is significant, further surgical intervention may be necessary to enhance the symmetry.
  • Contour Irregularities: Irregularities in shape and contour, including depressions, may be evident after abdominoplasty. You might observe or feel skin wrinkling. At the ends of the incisions, residual skin irregularities, also known as “dog ears,” or skin pleating due to excess redundant skin can occur. These may improve over time, or may require surgical correction.
  • Wound Separation: There’s a chance that wounds may separate following surgery. If this occurs, additional treatment or surgery may be necessary to manage the condition.
  • Delayed Healing: Disruption of the wound or delayed healing is a possibility.
  • Swelling: Swelling is a common occurrence post-surgery and it may take weeks or months to completely subside.
  • Sutures: Many surgical techniques involve deep sutures, which you may notice after your surgery. In some instances, sutures may poke through the skin spontaneously, become visible, or cause irritation, necessitating their removal.
  • Fat Necrosis: The death of deep fatty tissue in the skin may produce areas of firmness within the skin. Additional surgery to remove areas of fat necrosis could be necessary. Contour irregularities in the skin might result from fat necrosis.
  • Damage to Deeper Structures: Any surgical procedure carries the potential risk of injury to deeper structures like nerves, blood vessels, muscles, internal organs and lungs (pneumothorax). The possibility of such injury varies with the type of procedure performed and can be temporary or permanent.
  • Asymmetry: While breasts, nipples and areolas are naturally asymmetric to some extent, this may still be noticeable post-surgery. In cases of significant asymmetry, additional minor surgeries may be required.
  • Impact of Future Pregnancy: Future pregnancies can alter the results of your breast reduction surgery. While a full reversion to your pre-pregnancy size and shape is unlikely, revision surgery may be required.
  • Breastfeeding Difficulties: Not all women can breastfeed after breast reduction surgery. This needs to be considered in the context that not all women even without a breast reduction can breast feed. Women with large breasts are less likely to be able to breast feed. However, if you can breastfeed, it’s safe to do so. It is important to discuss your particular situation with your surgeon.
  • Contour Irregularities: Irregularities in shape and contour, including depressions, may be evident after surgery. You might observe or feel skin wrinkling. At the ends of the incisions, residual skin irregularities, also known as “dog ears,” or skin pleating due to excess redundant skin can occur. These may improve over time, or may require surgical correction.
  • Wound Separation: There’s a chance that wounds may separate following surgery. If this occurs, additional treatment or surgery may be necessary to manage the condition.
  • Delayed Healing: Disruption of the wound or delayed healing is a possibility.
  • Swelling: Swelling is a common occurrence post-surgery and it may take weeks or months to completely subside.
  • Sutures: Many surgical techniques involve deep sutures, which you may notice after your surgery. In some instances, sutures may poke through the skin spontaneously, become visible, or cause irritation, necessitating their removal.
  • Changes in Breast Shape: Your breast shape may change over time following your surgery.
  • Fat Necrosis: Dead fat will generally be absorbed by the body, but surgical removal might be required.
  • Interference with Mammography: Scarring from surgery may complicate mammography for a time. Specialized mammography and MRI studies can help evaluate breast lumps post-surgery.
  • Nipple Blood Supply: In rare instances, the nipple’s blood supply may be compromised, potentially resulting in the loss of your nipple or converting to a free nipple graft.
  • Nipple or Breast Sensation Changes: You might experience decreased or increased sensation, which may become permanent in some cases.
  • Size: The final cup size cannot be guaranteed.
  • Skin Loss: Loss of skin may necessitate surgical removal of non-viable skin.
  • Swelling: Normal post-operative swelling may take weeks or even months to fully resolve.
  • Thrombosis: Veins within the breast may develop clots.
  • Undiagnosed Breast Cancer: All removed breast tissue will be sent for pathology. An estimated 1 in 4000 patients may discover an undiagnosed breast cancer.
  • Wound Healing Issues: Issues might include wound separation, delayed healing, or wound breakdown.
    • Asymmetry: Breasts may not be identical in terms of size, shape, or level.
    • Breastfeeding Difficulties: Not all women can breastfeed after breast reduction surgery. This needs to be considered in the context that not all women even without a breast reduction can breast feed. Women with large breasts are less likely to be able to breast feed. However, if you can breastfeed, it’s safe to do so. It is important to discuss your particular situation with your surgeon.
    • Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL):
      • A rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that can develop around breast implants.
      • BIA-ALCL is not breast cancer but a cancer involving the cells of the immune system.
      • The lifetime risk ranges from 1:30,000 to 1:50,000.
      • Treatment usually involves removing the implants and the scar tissue surrounding them.
    • Breast Pain: The severity and duration of pain after surgery varies among individuals. Your anaesthetist can help manage this. Chronic pain may occur if a nerve becomes trapped in scar tissue.
    • Calcium Build-Up in Breast Tissue (Calcification): Calcification may be identified on subsequent mammograms.
    • Capsular Contracture: This involves the formation of normal scar tissue around the breast implant, which may tighten and make the breast round, firm, and possibly painful. It can occur soon after surgery or years later, generally in less than 10 percent of patients. Treatment for capsular contracture may require surgery, implant replacement, or implant removal.
    • Changes in Breast Shape and Appearance: Over time, the shape and appearance of your breasts may change following your surgery.
    • Implant Displacement, Rotation, or Malposition: This involves the implant not sitting correctly within the breast. Rotation is a particular issue related to anatomical implants and may necessitate replacement of implants.
    • Implant Palpability or Visibility: The implant may be felt through the skin, particularly in women with thin skin.
    • Implant Wrinkling and Rippling: These complications are more common with saline implants and in patients with thin skin.
      • Contour Irregularities: Irregularities in shape and contour, including depressions, may be evident after surgery. You might observe or feel skin wrinkling. At the ends of the incisions, residual skin irregularities, also known as “dog ears,” or skin pleating due to excess redundant skin can occur. These may improve over time, or may require surgical correction.
      • Delayed Healing: Disruption of the wound or delayed healing is a possibility.
      • Swelling: Swelling is a common occurrence post-surgery and it may take weeks or months to completely subside.
      • Sutures: Many surgical techniques involve deep sutures, which you may notice after your surgery. In some instances, sutures may poke through the skin spontaneously, become visible, or cause irritation, necessitating their removal.
      • Changes in Breast Shape: Your breast shape may change over time following your surgery.
      • Fat Necrosis: Dead fat will generally be absorbed by the body, but surgical removal might be required.
      • Interference with Mammography: Breast implants can make mammography more difficult and may obscure the detection of breast cancer. It is important to inform your mammography technologist about the presence of breast implants so appropriate mammogram studies can be done. Specialised mammography and MRI studies can help evaluate breast lumps post-surgery.
      • Nipple Blood Supply: In rare instances, the nipple’s blood supply may be compromised, potentially resulting in the loss of your nipple.
      • Nipple or Breast Sensation Changes: You might experience decreased or increased sensation, which may become permanent in some cases.
      • Implant Movement with Muscle Contraction: Certain muscle contractions may cause movement of the implant.
      • Pneumothorax: It is possible, though rare, to inadvertently let air into the chest cavity through a small hole between the ribs during surgery. This rarely needs to be treated with a large drain tube (chest tube) to reinflate the lung post-operatively.
        • Rupture of the Implant: If the implant ruptures, the gel leakage is usually contained within the capsule and may not be obvious but should be treated when diagnosed. The incidence is less than 5%.
        • Seroma or Fluid Build-Up Around the Implant: This complication may require drainage but usually resolves on its own.
        • Stretch Marks: Rarely, stretch marks may appear on the breasts after surgery.
        • Swollen or Enlarged Lymph Nodes (Lymphoedema or Lymphadenopathy): This could occur as an incidental finding.
          • Undiagnosed Breast Cancer: All removed breast tissue will be sent for pathology. An estimated 1 in 4000 patients may discover an undiagnosed breast cancer.
          • Wound Healing Issues: Issues might include wound separation, delayed healing, or wound breakdown.
            • Asymmetry: Post-operative asymmetry between the position or shape of the brows is possible. While minor discrepancies are normal, significant unevenness may require revision surgery.
            • Bleeding: Some bleeding is expected, but excessive bleeding may lead to hematoma formation and require a return to surgery. Avoid blood-thinning medications, such as aspirin and certain anti-inflammatories, for two weeks pre-operatively. Inform your surgeon if you are on any blood thinners.
            • Bruising: Bruising around the forehead and eyes is common and usually resolves within a few weeks.
            • Hair Loss: Temporary hair loss near the incision sites can occur. In rare instances, this may be permanent.
            • Nerve Injury: There is a risk of injury to the nerves that control eyebrow movement, which may result in temporary or, rarely, permanent changes.
            • Numbness: Temporary numbness around the incision sites, including the forehead and scalp, is common. Sensation typically returns over time, but permanent numbness can occur.
            • Scar: Scarring is a natural outcome of surgery. While incisions are typically placed to be as inconspicuous as possible, scars may be noticeable and vary in size and appearance.
            • Skin Loss: Compromised blood supply can lead to skin necrosis requiring further treatment or surgical intervention.
            • Swelling: Swelling is normal post-surgery and may take several weeks or months to fully subside.
            • Wound Healing Issues: Wound separation, delayed healing, and wound breakdown may require additional treatment, including surgical intervention.
            • Asymmetry: Facial features may differ between sides. Minor differences are common but significant asymmetry may require further surgery.
            • Bleeding: Occasional bleeding may necessitate a return to the operating theatre, rarely requiring a blood transfusion. Use of aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs up to two weeks before surgery increases bleeding risk. Specific peri-operative management is needed for patients on anti-coagulants. Please notify us if you are on any blood thinning medications.
            • Bruising: Most patients experience bruising, which typically resolves within a few weeks.
            • Deformity of the Earlobe: Because facelift incisions are made around and in the ear, distortion of any portion of the ear or the sideburn or hairline around the ear is a risk. Occasionally this will require revision surgery.
            • Hair Loss: Hair loss around incisions can occur, usually temporary but may be permanent.
            • Nerve Injury: Facial nerve branches may be affected. Injury may be temporary or permanent, leading to partial loss of facial movement.
            • Numbness: Temporary numbness of the face, neck, and ear is common, resolving over time but may be permanent.
            • Scar: Scars may be thick, wide, depressed, or discoloured.
            • Skin Loss: Blood supply compromise can lead to minor or significant skin loss, potentially requiring further surgery.
            • Stigmata of face lift: Facial changes characteristic of a face lift may be visible.
            • Swelling: Swelling is normal and may persist for weeks or months.
            • Wound Healing Issues: Wound separation, delayed healing, and wound breakdown may require additional treatment, including surgical intervention.
            • Unsatisfactory Result: While good results are expected, they cannot be guaranteed. You may be disappointed with the outcome, experiencing issues like asymmetry, unsatisfactory or highly visible surgical scar location, unacceptable visible deformities, poor healing, wound disruption, and loss of sensation.
            • Reoperation: In the course of treatment, a range of factors may affect the short and long-term outcome of surgery. If complications occur, additional procedures or treatments may be needed. To attain optimal results, secondary surgery might be required. While other complications and risks are possible, they are generally less common. It’s important to note that in some cases, achieving optimal results may necessitate more than one surgical procedure.
              • Seroma: Fluid accumulations frequently occur between the skin and the abdominal wall. Should this problem persist, it may require additional procedures for drainage of fluid.
              • Skin Loss: Some skin or tissue areas might die, necessitating frequent dressing changes or further surgery to remove the non-healed tissue. Smokers face a higher risk of skin loss and complications with wound healing.
              • Changes in Skin Sensation: Liposuction can cause changes in skin sensation in the area where fat was removed. This could potentially lead to numbness or increased sensitivity.
              • Skin Discolouration/Bruising: Bruising is a common occurrence after abdominoplasty. The skin around the surgical site may exhibit changes in colour, becoming either lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. While unusual, these changes in skin pigmentation may persist for an extended period and, in rare cases, may be permanent.
              • Burns: In some techniques, the cannula movement can cause friction burns to skin and nerves.
              • Asymmetry: Abdominoplasty may not always result in a symmetrical body appearance. Various factors, such as skin texture, fatty deposits, skeletal prominence, and muscle tone, can contribute to a natural imbalance in body features. If asymmetry is significant, further surgical intervention may be necessary to enhance the symmetry.
              • Contour Irregularities: Irregularities in shape and contour, including depressions, may be evident after abdominoplasty. You might observe or feel skin wrinkling. At the ends of the incisions, residual skin irregularities, also known as “dog ears,” or skin pleating due to excess redundant skin can occur. These may improve over time, or may require surgical correction.
              • Deep Infection/Necrotising Fasciitis: Although rare, liposuction can lead to serious deep tissue infections such as necrotising fasciitis, a rapidly spreading infection that causes tissue death. This type of infection can lead to life-threatening complications and require urgent medical treatment, including hospitalisation, strong antibiotics, and possibly surgery to remove dead tissue. This could also result in extensive scarring and potential skin grafts to repair the affected area.
              • Fluid Imbalances: Both dehydration and fluid overload are potential risks associated with liposuction. Both of these situations can lead to serious complications, including kidney problems, heart issues, or even life-threatening conditions like shock.
                • Damage to Deeper Structures: Any surgical procedure carries the potential risk of injury to deeper structures like nerves, blood vessels, muscles, internal organs and lungs (pneumothorax). The possibility of such injury varies with the type of procedure performed and can be temporary or permanent.
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                • Seroma: Fluid accumulations frequently occur between the skin and the abdominal wall. Should this problem persist, it may require additional procedures for drainage of fluid.
                • Skin Loss: Some skin or tissue areas might die, necessitating frequent dressing changes or further surgery to remove the non-healed tissue. Smokers face a higher risk of skin loss and complications with wound healing.
                • Skin Discoloration/Bruising: Bruising is a common occurrence after abdominoplasty. The skin around the surgical site may exhibit changes in colour, becoming either lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. While unusual, these changes in skin pigmentation may persist for an extended period and, in rare cases, may be permanent.
                • Asymmetry: Abdominoplasty may not always result in a symmetrical body appearance. Various factors, such as skin texture, fatty deposits, skeletal prominence, and muscle tone, can contribute to a natural imbalance in body features. If asymmetry is significant, further surgical intervention may be necessary to enhance the symmetry.
                • Contour Irregularities: Irregularities in shape and contour, including depressions, may be evident after abdominoplasty. You might observe or feel skin wrinkling. At the ends of the incisions, residual skin irregularities, also known as “dog ears,” or skin pleating due to excess redundant skin can occur. These may improve over time, or may require surgical correction.
                • Wound Separation: There’s a chance that wounds may separate following surgery. If this occurs, additional treatment or surgery may be necessary to manage the condition.
                • Delayed Healing: Disruption of the wound or delayed healing is a possibility. Some areas of the abdomen may take a longer time to heal normally.
                • Swelling: Swelling is a common occurrence post-surgery and it may take weeks or months to completely subside.
                • Sutures: Many surgical techniques involve deep sutures, which you may notice after your surgery. In some instances, sutures may poke through the skin spontaneously, become visible, or cause irritation, necessitating their removal.
                • Umbilicus: There’s a risk of malposition, scarring, an unacceptable appearance, or even loss of the umbilicus (navel).
                • Pubic Distortion: Although rare, some women may experience distortion of their labia and pubic area. If this happens, additional treatment or surgery may be necessary to correct it.
                • Impact of Future Pregnancy: Abdominoplasty does not generally impede your capability to conceive or bear children. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that a future pregnancy may result in the stretching of your abdominal muscles and skin that have been repaired or tightened during this procedure, potentially necessitating a revision surgery. If you are planning to have children in the near future, you might want to consider postponing your abdominoplasty until after your family is complete to maintain the outcomes of the surgery.
                • Future weight fluctuations: Weight fluctuations following a lower body lift can have a significant impact on the results of the procedure. Extreme weight gain may overstretch the repaired muscles and tightened skin, diminishing the aesthetic results. Conversely, drastic weight loss might lead to a recurrence of loose skin. For optimal surgical results and decreased risk, it is advisable to approach this surgery at your ideal body weight. If you anticipate substantial weight changes in the near future, you may want to consider deferring your body lift to safeguard the long-lasting outcomes of the surgery.
                • Persistent skin laxity: While the lower body lift procedure aims to tighten the skin to create a flatter and firmer abdomen, the ultimate response of the remaining skin post-surgery in part depends on individual skin characteristics such as elasticity. Despite maximal surgical effort to tighten the skin, there is a  possibility that there is persistent loose skin particularly when leaning forward or sitting. This may require further surgery and additional scars or it may not be possible to improve further.
                • Fat Necrosis: The death of deep fatty tissue in the skin may produce areas of firmness within the skin. Additional surgery to remove areas of fat necrosis could be necessary. Contour irregularities in the skin might result from fat necrosis.
                • Damage to Deeper Structures: Any surgical procedure carries the potential risk of injury to deeper structures like nerves, blood vessels, muscles, internal organs and lungs (pneumothorax). The possibility of such injury varies with the type of procedure performed and can be temporary or permanent.
                • Seroma: Fluid accumulations occasionally occur between the skin and the tissue in the upper thigh area. Persistent fluid accumulation may require additional procedures for drainage.
                • Skin and Tissue Necrosis: Some areas of skin or tissue might die, necessitating frequent dressing changes or further surgery to remove the non-healed tissue. Smokers face a higher risk of skin loss and complications with wound healing.
                • Fat Necrosis: The death of deep fatty tissue in the skin may produce areas of firmness within the thighs. This will generally be absorbed by the body; however, surgical removal may be required.
                • Lymphoedema: Rarely patients can develop chronic lymphoedema of the lower limb including the hand.
                • Nerve Injury: This may occur either with direct trauma or by stretching of nerves. Generally, it will recover without intervention.
                • Numbness: This may involve the area around the scar.
                • Pain: The severity and duration of post-operative pain vary with each individual patient. This will be managed by your anaesthetist. Pain may be chronic if a nerve becomes entrapped within scar tissue.
                • Recurrent Lax Skin: Occasionally due to the quality of your skin, fluctuations in your weight or subsequent pregnancies, you may develop some recurrence of your skin laxity.
                • Skin Graft: Rarely the tissues become tight during the operation, and the wound will need to be temporarily closed with a skin graft.
                • Skin Discoloration/Bruising: Bruising is common after a thigh reduction. While unusual, changes in skin pigmentation may persist for an extended period, and in rare cases, may be permanent.
                • Asymmetry: A thigh reduction may not always result in a symmetrical appearance of the upper arms. Factors such as skin texture, fatty deposits, skeletal prominence, and muscle tone can contribute to a natural imbalance in body features. Significant asymmetry may necessitate further surgical intervention.
                • Contour Irregularities: Irregularities in shape and contour may be evident after a thigh reduction. You might observe or feel skin wrinkling. At the ends of the incisions, residual skin irregularities or skin pleating due to excess redundant skin can occur. These conditions may improve over time or may require surgical correction.
                • Wound Separation: There is a chance that wounds may separate following surgery. If this occurs, additional treatment or surgery may be necessary to manage the condition.
                • Delayed Healing: Delayed healing is a possibility. Some areas of the thighs may take a longer time to heal normally.
                • Swelling: Swelling is a common occurrence post-surgery and it may take weeks or months to completely subside.
                • Sutures: Many surgical techniques involve deep sutures, which you may notice after your surgery. In some instances, sutures may poke through the skin spontaneously, become visible, or cause irritation, necessitating their removal.
                • Damage to Deeper Structures: Any surgical procedure carries the risk of injury to deeper structures like nerves, blood vessels, and muscles. The possibility of such injury varies with the type of procedure performed. Injury can be temporary or permanent.

                Book in a consultation today to find out what works best for you.

                As always, surgery is an important medical procedure which does carry risks and these need to be considered carefully when making any decision to have an operation.

                For more information, please contact us on 03 8840 0000 or fill out the form and one of our team will contact you to discuss your options.

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