Safety is as important as having an effective surgery; they go hand in hand. You should choose a surgeon who cares about both. Plastic surgeons across the board will not remove more than five liters without overnight monitoring in a licensed or accredited facility. This means a hospital or some surgery centers that allow 23-hour stays. It does not mean monitoring in a cosmetic aftercare facility or paying for a nurse to go to your hotel or Airbnb.
Lipedema surgery requires high standards of care
Surgery in an unlicensed office or even an accredited day surgery center is likely to mean a lower level of monitoring of vital signs, less infection control, and lower protocols for discharge. There have been women with lipedema discharged from surgery centers an hour after surgery without further monitoring, lab tests, or proper instructions. At Coverlipedema.com, we have worked with at least three doctors and over twenty-five nurses who had lipedema surgery, and they always talk about the fluid shifts from liposuction and concerns about blood pressure issues, especially for women with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Because of these concerns, the Ehlers-Danlos Society recommends overnight monitoring for all people with Ehlers-Danlos who have any surgery due to blood pressure issues and over/under reactions to anesthesia.
Beware of surgeons who cannot use general anesthesia
As for anesthesia, beware of the physicians who tout local and twilight anesthesia. This is often because they cannot take patients to a hospital for surgery because they are not plastic surgeons with admitting privileges. There are also some plastic surgeons with privileges who want to bill their self-owned surgery center. This means they can only remove five liters at each surgery, requiring women with significant lipedema to undergo many more procedures than necessary.
Most Plastic Surgeons will Accommodate Anesthesia Preferences
Most plastic surgeons will accommodate women who want local or twilight anesthesia and often will do day surgery but with a qualified anesthesiologist in a surgery center that is licensed and accredited at the same level as a hospital. They will not remove more than five liters in that setting because it’s not safe and any “lipedema expert” who does large-volume liposuction(over five liters) and sends you home, to an Air BNB, or to a cosmetic hotel after is risking your life, period.
Safety Should be Your First Consideration
Some insurance companies and states have strict requirements for lipedema surgery. Several insurers require that someone have surgery with board-certified plastic surgeons with hospital privileges, and the State of York limits who can do liposuction even in their offices. Safety should be your first consideration. Safe surgery is the first step in an effective surgery. Every surgeon that Coverliepdema.com recommends focuses on removing as much lipedema as can be safely done in each surgery.