What is tumescent liposuction?
The tumescent technique is a relatively new liposuction method that can reduce post operative bruising, swelling and pain. Also, blood loss is minimized during tumescent liposuction due to the effects of the local anesthetic which is used. In the tumescent technique, areas of excess fat are injected with a large amount of anesthetic liquid before liposuction is performed. The liquid causes the compartments of fat to become swollen and firm or “tumesced.” The expanded fat compartments allow the liposuction cannula to travel smoothly beneath the skin as the fat is removed. This can give multiple benefits — extra precision for the surgeon, reduced loss of blood for the patient, and extended pain relief after surgery, which can reduce the need for pain medication immediately after surgery.
The tumescent technique is a liposuction method that can reduce post operative bruising, swelling and pain. Also, blood loss is minimized during tumescent liposuction due to the effects of the local anesthetic which is used. In the tumescent technique, areas of excess fat are injected with a large amount of anesthetic liquid before liposuction is performed. The liquid causes the compartments of fat to become swollen and firm or “tumesced.” The expanded fat compartments allow the liposuction cannula to travel smoothly beneath the skin as the fat is removed. This can give multiple benefits — extra precision for the surgeon, reduced loss of blood for the patient, and extended pain relief after surgery, which can reduce the need for pain medication immediately after surgery.
The word tumescent refers to anything that is swollen and firm. In the tumescent technique for liposuction, a large volume of very dilute solution of local anesthesia (lidocaine and epinephrine) is infiltrated (injected) into the fat beneath the skin, causing the targeted area to become tumescent, in other words, swollen and firm. The local anesthetic lidocaine in the tumescent solution provides such complete local anesthesia, that it eliminates the need for general anesthesia, or IV sedation. The drug epinephrine (adrenalin) provides profound localized vasoconstriction that it virtually eliminates surgical bleeding during tumescent liposuction. By eliminating the risks of general anesthesia and the risks of excessive surgical bleeding, the tumescent technique for liposuction totally by local anesthesia has eliminated the greatest dangers associated with the older forms of liposuction.
