Whats the Safest Form of Liposuction?
Jan. 15, 2003 — Just how safe is liposuction? A widely reported study released three years ago found that it was not safe at all, with a death reported for every 5,000 procedures. But newly published research found no deaths among 66,000 people who had the cosmetic surgery under local anesthesia — in which the liposuction area is numbed but the person is still awake. The study’s researchers say their findings prove the technique — known as tumescent liposuction, is less risky than surgery performed while the patient is unconscious. But cosmetic surgeons that WebMD spoke to strongly disagree. The debate pits dermatologists favoring the local anesthesia approach against plastic surgeons, who still routinely use general anesthesia — putting the person to sleep — when they perform the elective procedure. “In my opinion there is no good reason to perform liposuction under general anesthesia,” study researcher and dermatologist Naomi Lawrence, MD, tells WebMD. “The bottom line is this i
