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PLASTIC SURGEONS ADVISE LIPOPLASTY PATIENTS TO OBTAIN FULL INFORMATION BEFORE SURGERY
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL (February 9, 1998) -- The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS) recommends that people considering lipoplasty, popularly known as liposuction, be fully informed about the procedure before surgery. In a position statement issued today, the organization states that lipoplasty is believed to be generally safe, provided that patients are carefully selected, the operating facility is properly equipped, and the physician has proper surgical education with special training in body contouring. In addition, patients should be aware that lipoplasty to remove more than five liters (5000 cc's) of fat and fluid requires a high level of surgical skill and provision for prolonged monitoring after the procedure.
"Our foremost concern is the health and safety of our patients," said Dennis Lynch, MD, president of ASPRS, "and we want our patients to be fully informed and aware of both the benefits and potential risks of lipoplasty surgery. It is important to remember that lipoplasty is a surgical procedure."
Lipoplasty is a surgical technique that removes unwanted fat from the body while improving body contours. Since its introduction in the United States in 1982, lipoplasty has become the most frequently performed cosmetic surgery procedure. The procedure is also used as an aid in some reconstructive surgical procedures. According to ASPRS statistics, plastic surgeons performed 109,353 liposuction procedures in 1996, compared with 47,212 in 1992, an increase of 132 percent.
Patients considering lipoplasty should know that there are no state or federal laws that govern the scope or quality of specialty education a physician must attain to designate him/herself a specialist in lipoplasty.
Before choosing a surgeon for lipoplasty, ASPRS recommends that patients clearly understand what to expect from the procedure as well as its limitations. Patients should consult a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), who has been granted privileges to perform lipoplasty at an accredited hospital because hospitals examine credentials carefully before granting surgical privileges to staff physicians. ABPS-certified surgeons who are ASPRS members can be located by calling (800) 635-0635 or via the ASPRS web site at www.plasticsurgery.org.
Questions potential lipoplasty patients may want to ask the surgeon include:
How often does the surgeon perform lipoplasty?
What are realistic expectations?
If the surgery is to be performed in an office surgical facility, does the surgeon have hospital privileges to perform lipoplasty?
Is the surgical facility accredited by an external organization for safety?
In trying to understand what the surgery can accomplish, viewing pre- and post-operative photos can sometimes be helpful. If the procedure is to be performed outside a hospital, patients should inquire whether the surgical facility is accredited by an organization such as the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), which requires office-based surgery facilities to meet strict quality standards to maintain their accredited status. Surgical facilities not accredited may not be adequately equipped and staffed to appropriately monitor patients and deal with any potential complications. To find out if a specific plastic surgery facility is AAAASF-accredited, patients may phone (847) 949-6058 during weekday business hours.
Serious medical complications from lipoplasty surgery are rare, but they can occur. In recent months, there have been reports of the deaths of five patients who had lipoplasty procedures. Factors that may increase the risk of complications include: pre-injection of excessive amounts of fluid and local anesthetics; removal of excessive volumes of fat; multiple procedures performed during the same surgery; extended length of surgery; and the poor pre-operative general health of the patient. Careful surgical judgment is required to balance the fat and liquid removed against the size and weight of the patient. Likewise, a combination of procedures may not be a problem for one patient but may be inadvisable for another. It is important that the patient and surgeon discuss these issues.
The tumescent technique, which involves injection of a large amount of a solution containing saline and local anesthetic into the area to be suctioned, can reduce blood loss and alleviate pain. The local anesthesia is usually supplemented with intravenous sedation or general anesthesia when lipoplasty is performed by a plastic surgeon. With the "super-wet" technique, lesser amounts of fluid and local anesthetic are injected and blood loss is similarly reduced. The procedure is usually done under general or spinal anesthetic. Another technical development is ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty or "UAL" which uses high-frequency ultrasonic energy to liquefy fat which is then removed with a suction-assisted device.
"While lipoplasty can be an effective tool for removing unwanted areas of fat, patients should understand that it is not a substitute for exercise and a healthy diet," said Dr. Lynch. "The procedure generally should not be used as a weight-loss method."
The briefing paper on lipoplasty for plastic surgery patients and consumers was developed by ASPRS which formed a task force to review the history and physiology of lipoplasty. The task force includes representatives from ASPRS, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the Lipoplasty Society. The entire text of the briefing paper is available on the ASPRS website at www.plasticsurgery.org or by calling the Plastic Surgery Information Service at 1-800-635-0635.
The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons represents 97 percent of all physicians certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). By choosing an ASPRS member plastic surgeon certified by the ABPS, a patient can be assured that the physician has graduated from an accredited medical school and completed at least five years of additional residency training, usually three years in general surgery and two years of plastic surgery. Additionally a physician must also practice plastic surgery for two years and pass comprehensive written and oral examinations. Consumers may call Plastic Surgery Information at 1-800-635-0635 or access the ASPRS website at www.plasticsurgery.org for informational brochures and names of qualified plastic surgeons in their areas.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: Complete statistics on plastic surgery procedures and background information on lipoplasty are available on the ASPRS website at www.plasticsurgery.org.
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