Liposuction or tumescent liposuction: What’s the best approach?
When it comes to fat-reduction procedures, Liposuction is one of the first name that comes to our minds. Whether performed using traditional cannulas, power-assisted cannulas, thermal lasers, ultrasound-assisted devices, or other devices, Liposuction has gained increased popularity in the United States in the past decades. It is currently the second most popular surgical cosmetic procedure in women, following breast augmentation, and the most common in men, in the United States.
In its initial footsteps, Liposuction was associated with significant blood loss and trauma, but thanks to dermatologist Jeffrey Klein, the tumescent technique was introduced and made popular in our country, in the 1980s. Nowadays, almost all Liposuction procedures employ this technique, where a solution numbs and dries the fatty tissue, allowing the fat to be broken down and suctioned, in a very controlled fashion.
A solution containing small amounts of an anesthetic and a vasoconstrictive substance, to control discomfort and bleeding, is infused into the subcutaneous tissue, which is subsequently liposucctioned. This solution was named Tumescent solution, and it created Tumescent Liposuction, a very safe procedure, especially when performed solely under local anesthesia.
Tumescent Liposuction
Performed only by local anesthesia has been consistently proven to be safer then the same procedure performed under general anesthesia, with several studies corroborating this fact. The vast majority of complications associated with Liposuction have been associated with the use of general anesthetics, as opposed to Liposuction performed solely by local anesthesia.
Essentially, all body areas can the treated by Tumescent Liposuction under local anesthesia, from the chin down to the legs. Liposuction and liposculpture can therefore remove and/or enhance areas where contour is desired or not. And it’s all done under local anesthesia, with the patient fully awake, similar to a dental procedure.
