Skin sensation after suction lipectomy: a prospective study of 50 consecutive patients.

Using a reproducible pain stimulus, skin sensation was evaluated in a prospective study of 50 consecutive patients who underwent suction lipectomy. A total of 294 anatomic areas were evaluated and treated. Before operation, many patients were found to have patchy areas of decreased sensation, a condition that was unknown to them. Initially after surgery, all patients had decreased sensation in the treated areas. However, sensation usually returned to normal in 6 to 8 months. In some patients, sensory return to preoperative levels took as long as 1 year, and in a few, patchy areas of decreased sensation were present even longer. In general, the larger the treated area, the larger are the area and degree of sensory loss and the slower is the return of sensation.