Misconceptions about liposuction make it life threatening

The misconception about Liposuction being surgery aimed at weight loss is causing adverse health complications, including deaths among women, health experts said here on Thursday.

They said that a lot of women have started undergoing liposuction considering it a shortcut of weight loss and ultimately end up suffering from excessive blood and fluid loss, leading to shock, fat and blood clots, which may travel to the lungs and even buildup of fluid in the lungs.

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery operation that removes fat from many sites on the human body. Areas affected can range from the abdomen, thighs and buttocks, to the neck, backs of the arms and elsewhere.

"This procedure is done routinely in India and certainly not with the same finesse everywhere. Been ruled by the British, Indians have a passion for foreign materials and services provided. Perhaps the other reason is lack of confidentiality that is practised by many in this country," said Mohan Thomas, Senior Cosmetic Surgeon at Mumbai's prominent Cosmetic Surgery Institute.

Emphasising that liposuction was just a body contouring procedure, he said that a lot of people undergone it for the sake of weight loss. Also, if it is not performed with the proper technique and standards there are chances that the patient can suffer from health disorders.

Citing the case of popular Telugu actress Aarti Agarwal, who died of a cardiac arrest after undergoing liposuction, Thomas told IANS that a comprehensive preoperative work up is essential before considering any procedure cosmetic or even otherwise.

"Intra-operative monitoring is key to a safe and successful outcome which includes planes of anaesthesia, fluid management, cardiac monitoring, kidney function - urine output," he said.

In a recent survey done by the American academy of cosmetic surgery and the Aesthetic Plastic surgery society, 85 percent of the dissatisfied patients chose a surgeon-based on the fees alone and suspect more of it here in India.

Madhuri Agarwal, Dermatologist and Aesthetic physician at Yavana Aesthetics Clinic said that pricing appears to be the key factor in deciding and influencing surgical procedures which at times leaves negative effects.

"Liposuction is a minimally invasive procedure to remove fat and enhance body contouring. It is ideally recommended for patients who have resistant fat which is non responsive to diet and exercise and should not be used as a short cut for weight loss,"Agarwal told IANS.

"It is also essential that the procedure is performed by a board certified plastic surgeon, who has considerable experience performing these new techniques," he added.