This is a great question! Liposuction is safe in Singapore just like most things in Singapore as the Ministry of Health has implemented additional requirements and licensing conditions for conduct of safe liposuction. The Singapore Association of Plastic Surgeons and the Chapter of Plastic Surgeons, Academy of Medicine work closely with the College of Surgeons and the Ministry of Health to constantly review safety guidelines regarding liposuction and the practice of Aesthetic Surgery.
Under the amended guidelines (Feb 2015), all liposuction procedures are only to be performed at specialised Ambulatory Surgical Centres (ASCs) or a hospital to ensure that the facility has the necessary equipment to deal with complications.
Aspiration of less than 100 mls for fat transfer using a syringe and local anaesthesia can be done in approved medical clinics. Liposuction involving the removal of more than 2 litres of fat per session can only be performed in a hospital on an inpatient basis. When sedation or general anaesthesia is used on a patient during liposuction, an anaesthetist myst be present at all times until the patient is fit for discharge. Doctors performing liposuction must be specially accredited by the Accreditation Committee for Liposuction (ACL).
Every surgical procedure has risks and you are right to want to know what are the risks associated with liposuction. While liposuction is largely a safe procedure, it has to be done by a well-trained doctor in the right facility with adequate monitoring. Severe complications have arisen from liposuction performed in sub-optimal facilities without proper anaesthesia support.
The common complications of liposuction include:
- bruising
- swelling
- numbness
- asymmetry (of the area where liposuction was performed) and scars.
Sometimes, follow-up surgery might be required, although liposuction aims to improve most of the contour irregularities in one session. I recommend the S.A.F.E Liposuction technique which helps to reduce the risk of irregularities.
More serious complications, which are very rare but deserve mention due to its severity, include: perforation of abdominal organs. The risks of this is increased if patient had previous surgery to the abdomen or there is use of energy assisted liposuction devices.
It is important to update your surgeon on any previous operations that you may have had. Other rare complications include: pulmonary embolism (blockage of pulmonary artery in the lungs), deep vein thrombosis, fat embolism (the blockage of a blood vessel by a fat particle), skin necrosis (death of skin tissue) and excess fluid loss leading to shock. Hence it is important to select a surgeon who is experienced and accredited to perform liposuction.
I hope this gives you a better understanding of liposuction and its risks and complications. While it is a safe procedure, it is important that it is done by well-trained surgeons and in the right facilities with the correct monitoring.
Dr. Terence Goh
