Because ultrasonic liposuction is not a skin tightening procedure, minor contour irregularities may occur from the deflationary nature of the procedure, especially in patients with poor skin tone. Minor asymmetries, and imperfections can occur. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as perfect symmetry, nor perfectly smooth contours. Our bodies are naturally asymmetric and all individuals have subtle areas of depressions, cellulite, dimpling, and small areas of fullness that do not detract from an attractive silhouette. Prolonged swelling or bruising can occur, and resolve over time. Subtle skin color changes can occur from severe bruising. There is also the possibility of a more subtle result than expected related to underlying anatomy or persistent skin redundancy that is not severe enough to warrant excision. Temporary sensation changes such as numbness or hypersensitivity resolve over one year. It would be rare to have a persistent sensation change after 1 year. Temporary firmness and adhesions are to be expected from internal scar tissue; it may take up to 6 months to resolve.
In patients undergoing excisional procedures to treat a loose breast skin envelope, scarring is a risk. Poor scars such as hypertrophic scars (red and raised), keloids (scars that outgrow the margins of the incision), dark scars, light scars, wide scars, or depressed scars are possible, depending on the inherent healing ability of the individual. Nipple appearance changes can occur including enlarged areola, asymmetric or oval shaped areola, retracted or depressed areola. Small areas of minor suture reactions or delayed healing can occur and rarely affect the result. Larger open areas, skin loss, or nipple loss are extremely rare occurrences more common in cigarette smokers.
Additional risks of surgery include bleeding, infection, anesthetic risks, allergic reactions, damage to deeper structures, pulmonary complications, burns from the ultrasound device, seroma (fluid collections), and major contour problems.
