Further, although virtually no hard data exist, says Bruner, he and others worry that too much lidocaine may also lead to death. Lidocaine use poses particular hazards, especially since experts do not agree on safe injectable levels. On the other hand, the brain becomes very agitated at first, which may cause a seizure, before coma sets in. At least one study links possible lidocaine toxicity to liposuction deaths, says Horbowyj, adding that people with less than normal liver function or those who have been drinking alcohol may not be able to metabolize lidocaine well. After Surgery Patients should expect discomfort post-surgery, says Graham.
Patients are bloated, have wounds all over, and are feeling distended.
Surgeons, says Bruner, should discuss such conditions with their patients beforehand. With liposuction, doctors have gone under the carpet of skin and have taken away the fat undercoating, so the raw surface oozes serum on the inside. To control the swelling, Bruner has his patients wear a garment with elastic pressure, reaching from below the breast area to mid-thigh. The skin sticks to the undersurface, and as it starts to heal the fluid stops oozing and the swelling goes away. And although most people would admit to wanting to reshape their body in some way, not everyone makes an ideal liposuction candidate, says Daniel Morello, M.D., president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.