What Is The Risk Of Nerve Injury From Buccal Lipectomy and Perioral Liposuction Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in buccal lipectomy and perioral liposuction surgery. 

  1. Have you ever had any complications with these surgeries? 
  2. Everything of course comes with a risk – which ones are the most likely once with these procedures?
  3. Knowing this is a very sensitive area with a lot of important facial nerves, and with anatomy not being an exact science but rather coming with certain individual differences to each patient – do you feel confident going through with these procedures? I have a great respect of the face anatomy 😊)
  4. Would we be able to do it with just local anesthesia? Not a big fan of general anesthesia (quite scared of it 😉), did my rhinoplasty without it and that worked great. I’m a tough cookie and are really still and tractable – eager to do what’s needed for the best results.
  5. How does the aftercare process look like? Is it something I need to think about beforehand?

A: In answer to your questions about buccal lipectomy and perioral liposuction:

1) I have not had any complication with these surgeries such as infection or nerve injuries.

2) The only real risk is in how much of a facial slimming effect could it have.

3) There actually are no ‘important’ nerves in the buccal space or perioral facial region.

4) it could be done under local anesthesia.

5) There really is no after case that is needed.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana