Nerve pain can be a result of irritation or damage to the nervous tissue in your body. Sometimes, this pain can last for months or even years. It can also become worse over time and interfere with your everyday life. Although nerve pain is not life-threatening, it can cause discomfort and make your daily life more difficult.
In this guide, we find out How To Treat Nerve Pain After Liposuction, how to stop burning sensation after liposuction, nerve damage after liposuction, and how long does nerve pain last after liposuction.
How To Treat Nerve Pain After Liposuction
Liposuction is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States. It can be used to remove fat deposits, cellulite or excess skin from problem areas like the thighs, buttocks and abdomen. However, while liposuction is often a safe procedure with minimal risks and short recovery times, it does have its complications. Nerve damage is one of these potential side effects of having liposuction performed by an experienced doctor who knows what he or she is doing.
Nerve damage is a side effect of many surgeries. Liposuction is no different.
Nerve damage is a side effect of many surgeries, including liposuction. The most common cause of nerve damage after surgery is surgical trauma, but there are other causes, as well. If you experience numbness or tingling in the area where your incision was made or on the opposite side of your body, this could be a sign of nerve damage. If you’re experiencing these symptoms and feel like they’re not improving within two weeks after surgery: it’s time to talk to your doctor about what might be causing them and what can be done about it!
The good news? The most common treatment for this type of pain is medication. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen can help ease discomfort while you heal from liposuction (and any other procedures), which will make life easier overall until everything gets back to normal again!
Causes of nerve pain after liposuction
There are a number of ways that you can injure yourself during liposuction, including:
- Nerve damage
- Pulling or rubbing on the area where liposuction was performed (which can cause nerve damage)
- Compression from a hematoma or swelling that restricts blood flow to nerves.
Most commonly, nerve pain results from the trauma of surgery and not from any direct damage to the nerve.
Most commonly, nerve pain results from the trauma of surgery and not from any direct damage to the nerve. Unlike muscles and other tissues in your body that can repair themselves after injury and can even grow back, the nerves do not have this ability. Nerves are damaged during liposuction when they are stretched or compressed by tools used during surgery. In some cases, if blood supply to a nerve is disrupted during liposuction, it may cause temporary or permanent nerve damage; however, this is rare and typically only occurs when there is an injury to an artery supplying blood flow to surrounding tissue including nerves.
It’s important to know that although most cases of nerve pain after liposuction resolve on their own within several weeks or months after surgery, some patients may experience symptoms for many years afterward.
Patients should also take care to avoid pulling or rubbing on the area where liposuction was performed as this will aggravate nerve fibers and may lead to more intense pain and longer recovery times.
There are a number of medications that can be taken to alleviate nerve pain after liposuction. These medications include, but are not limited to:
- Acetaminophen
- Ibuprofen
- Oxycodone
If you are experiencing numbness, tingling, pins-and-needles sensation, or other symptoms associated with nerve damage after having liposuction, it is important that you consult your doctor to determine the cause. These symptoms can be caused by liposuction techniques, or they can indicate compression of a nerve or a hematoma compressing blood vessels restricting blood flow to nerves. A doctor can diagnose the problem and help to develop a treatment plan.
- Your doctor will examine your skin and confirm the presence of nerve damage.
- Your doctor will diagnose the cause of your nerve damage based on a physical exam and any tests that are necessary.
- If a hematoma is found, it should be removed so that blood flow to nerves can resume as quickly as possible. This may require surgery in some cases.
The following actions should be taken:
If you are experiencing numbness, tingling, pins-and-needles sensation, or other symptoms associated with nerve damage after having liposuction, it is important that you consult your doctor to determine the cause. These symptoms can be caused by liposuction techniques, or they can indicate compression of a nerve or a hematoma compressing blood vessels restricting blood flow to nerves. A doctor can diagnose the problem and help to develop a treatment plan
Doctors may prescribe a variety of medications such as antidepressants, anti-seizure medications, opioid pain medications and muscle relaxants
Doctors may prescribe a variety of medications such as antidepressants, anti-seizure medications, opioid pain medications and muscle relaxants. Antidepressants can help reduce nerve pain caused by inflammation. Anti-seizure medication can also help reduce nerve pain caused by inflammation because it increases the level of GABA in the body which causes sedation and sleepiness. Opioid pain medications work against both acute and chronic pains but these can be addictive so they should be used with caution. Muscle relaxants are used to treat spasms in different parts of the body including muscles around nerves thus reducing nerve related pain
Massage therapy can help loosen tense muscles around affected nerves and relieve some pressure on those nerves.
Massage therapy can help loosen tense muscles around affected nerves and relieve some pressure on those nerves. Massage therapy can also reduce pain and help restore feeling in numb areas of the skin, especially if you do it yourself (see below).
If you’ve ever had massage therapy before, you know that it feels great to have someone rub your sore muscles. And if you haven’t had professional massage therapy yet, but are curious about how it works—it’s a great way to relax after a long day of work or school! If there’s no spa near where you live, consider buying yourself an electronic massager like this one so that when your body needs some stress relief throughout the day (and night), all you have to do is roll over onto your side while lying down comfortably on your bed or couch…
Desensitization therapy uses medicated gels or electrical stimulation devices to stimulate the nerves gradually in order to desensitize them. This can reduce pain and help restore feeling in numb areas of the skin.
Desensitization therapy uses medicated gels or electrical stimulation devices to stimulate the nerves gradually in order to desensitize them. This can reduce pain and help restore feeling in numb areas of the skin.
These products are available over-the-counter, but it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before buying one so they can recommend which is best for you.
how to stop burning sensation after liposuction
Liposuction is an extremely common plastic surgery, sought after by men and women of all ages who want to remove stubborn pockets of fat that they’ve been unable to address through diet and exercise alone. And although it’s performed for countless individuals each year, there are some risks associated with the procedure. As a patient, it’s important to be aware of the complications that can occur, so you can take the steps necessary to protect yourself.
Loose skin
Loose skin is one of the most common side effects of liposuction. Once your unwanted fat has been removed, your skin may suddenly appear loose without its underlying support. The more fat removed, the looser your skin. If you have naturally elastic skin, then it may bounce back in time depending on how aggressive your surgeon is while removing fat. If not, then your skin will likely partially recoil and you will have a smaller silhouette with undesirable loose skin, exchanging one problem for another.
While there are new technologies on the market that can tighten skin while removing fat, this is limited and will not make up for aggressive liposuction. The most important factor is understanding your skin quality before surgery. Poor candidates are often people who have lost a lot of weight and have residual fat, which can actually be excess skin mistaken for fat, and then undergoing aggressive liposuction.
Additional poor candidates are women after childbirth. The stomach skin is no longer tight and does not do well after significant liposuction. Therefore, the most important factor is conservative liposuction taking in the quality of ones skin. Sometimes the solution is not liposuction but rather an excisional procedure like a tummy tuck. Your surgeon should guide you in determining what’s best for you.
Asymmetrical results
When you have liposuction performed, you want unwanted fat to be removed evenly from both sides of your body. Otherwise, you’ll be left with an odd and asymmetrical appearance.
To prevent this from happening, Dr. Rahban will precisely mark your treatment areas prior to your procedure and remove excess fat as uniformly as possible. In this way, he ensures that both sides of your body are of a similar shape and size after surgery.
Often liposuction is done hurriedly and with the patients in poor positioning on the operating room table. This will invariably lead to asymmetrical results.
Irregular contours
Without a doubt, the most common complication following liposuction is contour irregularities. After liposuction, patients are initially swollen and may appear to have nice contour and be satisfied, only to be greatly disappointed several months later when the swelling resolves. They will start to notice depressions, divots and a rippling appearance. In most cases, these effects are caused by uneven fat removal and poor skin elasticity – and they can be permanent if left untreated.
To prevent contour irregularities, Dr. Rahban is meticulous when preparing for and performing liposuction. Prior to your procedure, he will assess the quality of your skin to determine if you’re at risk for this complication, as this will affect how aggressively he removes your excess volume. During surgery, he will artistically sculpt the area and remove unwanted fat in a uniform manner to ensure a smooth and even outcome—the key being not what he removes but rather what fat he leaves behind.
Skin sensation changes
After liposuction, some patients experience numbness or increased sensitivity in the treatment area. When the procedure is performed properly and gently by a seasoned plastic surgeon, these changes are almost always temporary and should decrease within a matter of months.
Unsightly liposuction scars
Liposuction procedures do not require large incisions. As such, the resulting scars should be small, well healed, and difficult to see. Unfortunately, unsightly scars can appear if the procedure is performed improperly – which is why it is so important to select your plastic surgeon carefully. Poor liposuction scars can be incredibly obvious due to the symmetry, creating embarrassment for patients. In order to minimize them, the following steps must be taken.
Although liposuction is a very common procedure, it still requires a high level of precision, skill and nuance. To avoid unsightly liposuction scars, select a plastic surgeon who prioritizes scar prevention and personally closes all incisions, like Dr. Rahban.
Burns
Burns are an uncommon, but fairly serious complication of liposuction. They can be caused by friction from the cannula or the high levels of heat associated with laser and ultrasound liposuction procedures. Burns are most likely to occur if you have a surgeon who is overly aggressive during the fat removal process. With Dr. Rahban, you can be assured that your safety is his number one priority, and he will perform your procedure conservatively and accurately in a way that ensures that your skin is protected.
Bleeding and infection
As with all plastic surgeries, bleeding and infection may occur after liposuction. However, these complications are rare, especially if your doctor takes the appropriate steps before surgery.
For example, Dr. Rahban will have you stop using medications that may promote bleeding for a full two weeks prior to your surgery, including supplements, aspirin and anti-inflammatories. To protect you from possible infections, we’ll provide you with an antiseptic soap to cleanse with the night before and day of surgery. Additionally, you will be given antibiotics before and after the procedure, and strict post-operative guidelines that can ensure a smooth healing process.
nerve damage after liposuction
In a systematic review by Ducic et al in this journal, the authors highlighted how important but underreported nerve injuries are after an abdominoplasty.1 Complications, such as chronic numbness or pain, can have extreme effects on a patient’s life. Although the total risk of any nerve injury has been reported to be 1.94%, this is likely an underestimation given that around 7.67% of patients report post-procedural hypoesthesia. The most commonly injured nerve related to surgical incision was the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (1.36% of all patients). In contrast, there are only a handful of iliohypogastric nerve injuries resulting from abdominoplasties, representing 0.10% of all patients. Most notably, in their literature search, the authors were able to find only two reported cases of iliohypogastric nerve injuries in the literature. We hope to continue to bring attention to this underexplored adverse effect of abdominoplasty.
We present the case of a 39-year-old woman with right lower quadrant abdominal pain one month after an abdominoplasty performed in May 2015. She was evaluated at her plastic surgeon’s office on the day of presentation and was found to have a suture overlying her right abdominal incision site. Her wound was healing well and the suture was removed. As the patient was leaving the surgeon’s office, she began feeling pressure-like pain near the suture site. Several hours later, she experienced a stabbing pain radiating from her right flank to her umbilicus exacerbated by movement. The pain was not directly over the incision site, but along a linear distribution caudal to it. She denied fevers, chills, nausea, or vomiting. She immediately returned to her surgeon who reassured her that the site looked well. Her symptoms escalated further and she sought further evaluation at our emergency department (ED).
In the ED, the patient was afebrile and hemodynamically stable. Although no erythema was noted over the incision site, computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis only demonstrated lower abdominal subcutaneous fat infiltration. No abscess or intra-abdominal pathology was observed. The patient was subsequently started on intravenous vancomycin for possible cellulitis and admitted to the general medicine service. The plastic surgery team was consulted and given the lack of fever, erythema, and leukocytosis, vancomycin was discontinued. However, pain control continued to be an issue for the patient during her hospital stay. On further examination, provocative testing over the iliohypogastric nerve distribution medial to the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) elicited a shooting sensation into her groin, suggesting post-procedural nerve entrapment. Initially, the patient was offered a peripheral nerve block by the anesthesia pain service. However, she elected to undergo conservative therapy. Subsequently, the patient was started on oral gabapentin 300 mg three times daily with improvement in her pain. Ultimately, she was discharged on gabapentin with follow-up in a multidisciplinary pain management center. Three months after her initial presentation, the patient reports that her pain has almost completely resolved and that she has only been taking gabapentin intermittently.
Nerve entrapment classically presents with burning or lancinating pain near the surgical site and the surrounding area of innervation. Pain can be accentuated by exertion and elicited with light pressure over the affected area. Nerve entrapment following an abdominal procedure can result from nerve stretching, nerve transection resulting in neuroma formation, or indirect neuropathy by nerve tethering from surrounding scar or edema, all possible mechanisms in our patient.2 Direct nerve injury commonly occurs with blind dissection of subcutaneous adipose tissue close to the lateral borders of the oblique muscles, risking injury to prematurely surfaced branches of ilioinguinal or iliohypogastric nerves.1 In addition, random “deep bites” of tissue, such as with suture placement near the ASIS, will increase the risk of nerve entrapment. Thus, prevention of nerve entrapment should focus on careful dissection and positioning.
Since nerve injuries typically self-resolve, treatment includes desensitization or sensory re-education, such as massage or frequent stimulation with running water.1 Case series in the literature have also reported resolution of symptoms after nerve blocks or, as with our patient, treatment with gabapentin.3 Peripheral nerve surgery, such as neuroma resection or neurectomy of entrapped nerves, is appropriate if symptoms do not improve in three months.
Iliohypogastric nerve entrapment is a rare and underreported complication of abdominoplasty. Although complication rates of abdominoplasty can vary anywhere from 22% to 50%, it is not uncommon for a patient with nerve entrapment to be given a psychiatric diagnosis prior to receiving the correct diagnosis.4,5 We hope our letter highlights a little known and often forgotten complication of abdominoplasty.
how long does nerve pain last after liposuction
One of the biggest issues we see after surgery is scarring around the nerves (1). The most common symptoms of nerve damage after surgery are usually numbness, tingling, burning, muscle weakness or atrophy. Many times the symptoms are temporary, for example, many patients have nerve problems after surgery that only last for a few weeks to months (2,3). If they last longer than a few months, then they’re placed into the permanent nerve damage category and will likely need to be treated.
What Happens When Your Nerves Are Damaged?
Think of a nerve as a garden hose. If you constrict one area, less water comes out. This is what happens when scar tissue forms around a nerve after surgery. The scar tissue constricts the nerve which reduces the transport of critical chemicals that the nerve needs to stay healthy.
A nerve can also be damaged by killing some or all of its fibers. The image below shows that a nerve is made up of bundles of neurons (nerve cells) called fascicles. Groups of these fascicles make up the bigger nerve (4). In addition, the nerve is surrounded by a fatty sheath (myelin) that acts like an insulator covering a wire. When this sheath gets damaged there can also be a problem with nerve function.