Objective To analyze the effect of temperature management on intraoperative stress and postoperative recovery in patients undergoing general anesthesia liposuction plastic surgery. Methods A total of 80 patients who underwent general anesthesia liposuction plastic surgery in Shenzhen Jumei Boyue Medical Beauty Clinic from July 2022 to July 2024 were selected and divided into the control group and the observation group by the random number table method, with 40 patients in each group. The control group received routine intraoperative management, and the observation group strengthened temperature management on the basis of routine management. The vital signs, stress indicators, postoperative recovery, intraoperative stress event rate and management satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results All vital signs in the observation group were better than those in the control group (P <0.05). The postoperative adrenal hormone, norepinephrine, C-reactive protein and cortisol in the observation group were better than those in the control group (P <0.05). The respiratory recovery time and complete awakening time in the observation group were shorter than those in the control group (P <0.05). The incidence of intraoperative stress events in the observation group was 2.50%, which was lower than 17.50% in the control group (P <0.05). The management satisfaction rate in the observation group was 97.50%, which was higher than 80.00% in the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion The application of temperature management can maintain stable vital signs of patients undergoing general anesthesia liposuction plastic surgery, improve intraoperative stress indicators, shorten postoperative recovery time, and effectively reduce the incidence of intraoperative stress events, which has a positive impact on patient recovery.