Necrosis and infection due to cosmetic liposuction

After liposuction on her thighs at a spa, the woman suffered from multiple infections, her legs were so swollen she could not walk, and pus was leaking, so she had to be hospitalized for emergency care.

Ms. D.THT (37 years old, Nghe An ) had to go to Bach Mai Hospital for emergency treatment in a state of both legs being swollen and unable to walk, with pus accumulation and multiple infections after thigh liposuction at a spa.

The patient is being treated at Bach Mai Hospital.

According to Ms. T, she went to a spa near her home to have liposuction on both thighs. After about 2-3 weeks, her thighs began to swell, accumulate a lot of fluid, become painful and have a fever. The spa instructed her to go to the provincial hospital for treatment, but there was little improvement.

Ms. T came to Bach Mai Hospital and had doctors from the Plastic Surgery Department perform many surgeries, cleaning and treating damaged tissues caused by multiple infections. After that, her scars were removed and her thighs were reshaped to avoid concavities.

“When I was admitted to the hospital, my legs were so swollen that I could barely walk. The doctor said that if I had come to the hospital later, the infection would have affected my tendons, muscles, and bones and I would have been at risk of being disabled for life,” said Ms. T.

Another case is Ms. PTT (49 years old, Bac Ninh ) who was admitted to the hospital with the abdominal fat removal surgery site leaking fluid, wide open, infected and necrotic.

Previously, the female patient had liposuction at a private facility with a friend to get a discount. Due to the lack of technical assurance and sterile environment, Ms. T suffered from infection and necrosis from the abdomen spreading to the thighs after liposuction.

At Bach Mai Hospital, the female patient was treated, had her pus-filled lesions dredged, underwent multiple surgeries, skin reconstruction, and long-term treatment to save her life.

Not only liposuction has complications, many patients injected filler to improve roundness after buttock implants have had to be hospitalized. Typically, Ms. TTP (30 years old) was hospitalized with swelling, redness, and abscesses after injecting filler to buttock.

The patient was 12 weeks pregnant, so the doctors' top priority was to protect the fetus by providing medical and conservative treatment for the patient.

The doctor had to cut and scrape off all the necrotic tissue and the abscess that had spread widely in the buttocks and thighs and perform plastic surgery to ensure the patient's body shape.

After nearly 2 months of treatment, the patient is stable, the fetus is developing normally. In recent times, the demand for beauty of the people has been constantly increasing, followed by the proliferation of beauty centers and facilities. However, many women have not researched and chosen "underground" beauty facilities for beauty treatments.

Many complications after liposuction and filler injections from illegal spas and beauty salons have caused necrosis, infection... and even death.

Therefore, according to the recommendation of Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Thi Viet Dung, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, Bach Mai Hospital, before wanting to beautify, people need to carefully research information, services, and cosmetic facilities where they intend to perform the beauty treatment.

You should choose hospitals and reputable cosmetic facilities with full facilities and equipment that meet standards, are licensed by competent authorities and performed by experienced doctors with professional qualifications.

Also about cosmetic complications, listening to an online advertisement, a 42-year-old woman went to a spa in Thanh Hoa to have liposuction and scar removal. However, her skin gradually turned purple, and her navel and surrounding area suffered extensive necrosis.

Previously, on March 29, she went to get liposuction and scar removal at a spa advertised on social media. Afterwards, she noticed a lot of bruising on her abdomen and her skin was turning purple, so she went to a local hospital for treatment. On April 15, she asked to be transferred to Hanoi Medical University Hospital.

Abdominal CT scan results showed that the patient had diffuse subcutaneous tissue infiltration in the abdomen, bilateral lower ribs, and subcutaneous fluid collections in the abdomen on both sides.

Talking to reporters, Dr. Hoang Hong, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, Hanoi Medical University Hospital, said that the Department often has to receive cases of complications due to beauty treatments at unlicensed facilities, performed by unqualified professionals.

There are patients who had liposuction at an unreliable facility and had their lungs and liver punctured, causing intestinal perforation and peritonitis.

Other cases of cerebral embolism cause hemiplegia, abdominal wall fascia necrosis, pulmonary embolism, internal organ embolism, and even death.

The doctor of Hanoi Medical University Hospital is concerned that beauties are too lenient when it comes to cosmetic procedures. This doctor said that after studying for 6 years at Hanoi Medical University, plus 15 years of experience as a cosmetic surgeon, he dares to perform cosmetic procedures.

Not to mention, in the field of aesthetics there are specialized techniques that require learning and training, not everyone can do them.

“But now people are putting their lives in the hands of people who are not trained in aesthetics. It is truly foolish and dangerous,” said Dr. Hong.

Therefore, doctors at Hanoi Medical University Hospital recommend that people's need for beauty is very legitimate. However, we need to choose reputable facilities, licensed to practice, doctors who are thoroughly trained in cosmetic plastic surgery, have modern equipment as well as a good team of anesthesia and resuscitation. Thus, the risks when performing the procedure will be much lower.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Ngoc Lam, Director of the Center for Craniofacial and Plastic Surgery, 108 Military Central Hospital, the common point of many cases of complications after cosmetic procedures recently, according to experts, is due to the use of services and drugs that are not licensed in Vietnam. Therefore, these methods pose potential risks and dangers to human life.

For example, with autologous stem cell injection technology, according to doctors, this is a new method applied in the treatment of some cancers.

Stem cell treatment in some other fields (such as the beauty industry) is still in the research process. The reason this technology is not widely used is that research projects have not proven whether stem cells can be controlled to reach the target organ or not, thereby posing a risk of tumor formation. Therefore, the establishments that advertise the use of stem cell technology in beauty are currently doing it illegally.

Recommending people to do beauty treatments safely, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Minh, Head of the Department of Cosmetic and Maxillofacial Surgery, E Hospital, people need to pay attention to 3 important principles when doing beauty treatments, which are to choose reputable cosmetic hospitals with full facilities and equipment; licensed by the authorities and performed by experienced doctors with professional qualifications.

I think, beauty is a completely legitimate need of the people. However, people should choose licensed beauty services and perform them at reputable medical facilities with specialized doctors to avoid "losing money and getting sick".