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Surgery and Health

Liposuction, complications

Vanity surgery can kill

By Dr. W. Gifford Jones

It's a frightful tragedy when a patient dies following removal of an acute appendix. Or after excision of a diseased gallbladder. But it's horrendous when a patient dies from liposuction, cosmetic surgery that could have been avoided. Last year Toni Sullivan, a real estate agent in Markham, Ontario, died from a massive blood clot in the lung two days after excess fat was removed by liposuction. At least 12 other deaths have occurred in the U.S. Since these won't be the last to die, patients should begin to ask themselves some questions before trying to turn back the clock.

Liposuction is not a new operation. In 1929 Dr. Charles Dujarrier of France wanted to improve a dancer's knee. He scraped out the fat with disastrous results. The knee became infected and the leg required amputation. This outcome cooled physicians' enthusiasm for the procedure for 40 years.

In the 60's and 70's German and Italian doctors once again attempted to remove fat from localized areas of the body. They too were plagued by complications when large blood clots, infection and gangrene developed following the surgery.

Dr. Yves-Gerard Illouz of Paris appeared to find a solution. He devised a blunt tube to suck out the fat. 1,000 patients underwent the operation with few complications and no deaths.

How does liposuction work? Luckily the Creator decided we should all be born with a fixed number of fat cells. These cells multiply until we reach puberty and then stop. Later in life obesity results from an increase in the size of the fat cells. Once removed by liposuction they cannot be replaced. This sounds like the answer to a maiden's prayer. How to lose weight and resculpture the body.

If you're contemplating liposuction, ask yourself what you expect from the procedure. Don't be mislead into thinking it's a miraculous cure for obesity. The average amount of fat removed by liposuction is about two pounds. Dr. Ronald Levine, a Toronto Plastic surgeon, relates the story of a 190 pound woman who wanted to look her best for a vacation in the sun. She had already purchased her bikini! Liposuction is primarily a way of contouring parts of the body that can't be changed by exercise and dieting. The resculpturering is limited by natural body shape and bone structure. Liposuction is best suited for those who are normal weight or just slightly over weight.

Don't expect miracles. If you do, the operation may be a success for the surgeon and a disappointment for you. Liposuction can't make you into a movie star. It can accentuate your looks and make you feel better about your appearance. But these subtle changes won't give you the style and looks of Sophia Loren. Nor will it solve existing marital problems.

Age is not always a factor in deciding who is a candidate for liposuction. But the more elastic your skin the better the result. Young skin is more like an elastic band, that bounces back when stretched. In the more mature candidate removal of large amounts of fat may leave depressions and wrinkled, baggy skin covering the area.

Today the rate of complications is low. Infection may occur after any operation even when sterile surgical techniques are used. But in some cases, even the small risk can be life-threatening. Blood can accumulate under the skin forming a hematoma even when compression bandages are used to control this problem. Other patients suffer a temporary increase in the sensitivity of the overlying skin. And on occasion a temporary paralysis of nerves has resulted from the procedure. But no one ever knows when fate will suddenly make a lethal move. For instance, one patient thought she was going to leave the clinic after excess fat was vacuumed from her abdominal wall. But destiny ruled otherwise. During the operation the surgeon penetrated the abdominal wall, tore open the intestines causing peritonitis. The patient died several days later.

For others the fickle finger of fate triggers a time-bomb in the legs. The patient appears to be in perfect health after the operation but, suddenly a clot dislodges, travels to the lungs causing death in minutes. Sudden deaths always hit the headlines. But headlines never mention others who nearly die from this condition.

My advice is to be very, very careful about who performs liposuction. Just as people raced to California during the gold rush many doctors also see gold deposits in cosmetic surgery. You don't have to look far to see the reason. Toni Sullivan paid $4,000.00 for a relatively simple procedure that takes about an hour and requires practically no post-operative care. Yet surgeons in Canada are paid about $500.00 for removing a cancerous bowel and they receive nothing for many days of post-operative care! Small wonder that liposuction has become the most common cosmetic operation in North America. Last but not least, you should ask yourself honestly whether you really need the operation. And never forget the legal maxim, "Caveat emptor", let the buyer beware.


W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com

My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:

Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1

Pre-2008 articles by Gifford Jones
Canada Free Press, CFP Editor Judi McLeod