Bleeding
After the procedure, patients may experience light bleeding out of the entry site (the incision through which the surgeon inserted the cannula). Most of the time, this is excess blood-tinged fluid as opposed to actual 'whole' blood. Whole blood is an approximate combination of 45% red blood cells, 50% plasma fluid, and 5% white blood cells. Patients often worry that the fluid they find on their bandages and pads post-surgery is whole blood, but in fact most of the time it is a harmless combination of excess fluid from the tumescent cocktail and only very small amounts of blood. This will usually subside within a few days to a week, but when in doubt always call your surgeon. He will be able to determine whether your body is simply expelling excess fluids or whether you are suffering from more serious complications. Cosmetic surgeons have recently discovered that leaving the entry sites open rather than closing them with stitches can shorten recovery time, because the body is able to expel the excess fluids with greater ease. This can, however, leave a larger scar in the long term. As always, discuss any concerns with your surgeon before the operation.
It is very rare that a patient suffers from haematomas, especially since the relatively safe Tumescent Technique has gained popularity over other methods, but it can happen and should not be ignored. A haematoma is a symptom of internal bleeding, most likely a result of the surgeon aggravating small capillaries near the fatty tissue. The blood leaks out and forms into small, purplish-blue or dark red lakes just under the skin's surface. Although easy to treat, failure to drain the haematoma with a needle and syringe can lead to serious infections and fatal complications such as blood clot formation which may result in an embolism (whereby the clot forms a blockage in a blood vessel).