| Tumescent liposuction involves the surgical
removal of excess body fat using a combination of traditional liposuction
techniques and tumescent anesthesia. The procedure is relatively
new to the cosmetic surgery scene, having come into widespread use
in the 1990's. Tumescent liposuction offers significant benefits
over traditional liposuction techniques for its ability to minimize
post-operative discomfort, curtail surgical bleeding, and reduce
bruising and swelling during the recovery period.
Tumescent liposuction is unique in that it uses
large volumes of a dilute solution of lidocaine, paired with the
drug epinephrine. The lidocaine serves as a local anesthetic, eliminating
the need for patients to go under general anesthesia. The epinephrine
serves to temporarily restrict capillaries, thereby reducing bleeding
during the surgery. This combination allows surgeons to perform
liposuction using minimal amounts of sedatives. The lidocaine is
retained in the body for several hours after the procedure, giving
the patient up to 12 to18+ hours of pain-free recovery. The use
of tumescent anesthetic also eliminates the drunken feeling felt
by many patients after going under general anesthesia, as well as
the nausea felt by traditional liposuction patients.
At the start of the procedure, the surgeon anesthetizes
the skin at select locations using tiny needles. Once the skin has
been numbed, longer needles are used to anesthetize the subcutaneous
fat with large quantities of the dilute lidocaine and epinephrine
solution. Patients are frequently given a mild sedative, such as
Valium to help relax them during the procedure. Once the areas to
be treated are completely numb, the doctor begins the liposuction.
Small holes, called adits, are made in the skin using round skin
biopsy punches to form access sites for the liposuction microcannulas.
A microcannula is a very small stainless steel tube, ranging from
1mm to 3mm in diameter, designed to effectively remove small amounts
of fat. Fat is suctioned out of the body in small tunnels through
the microcannula, leaving the fibrous strands attached to the skin
and muscles intact. Once the desired fat has been suctioned out,
the microcannulas are removed. Since the adits are such small holes,
there is no need for sutures using this method. This actually serves
to speed up the healing process since drainage can occur via the
adits, greatly reducing the amount of swelling and bruising of the
treated areas.
Tumescent liposuction, as with any other type of
surgical procedure, does carry some risks. Patients should expect
some side-effects from the procedure such as bruising, swelling,
and temporary numbness of the treated areas. Significant drainage
will occur in areas where adits were formed. Some skin irregularities
may result from the procedure, though this side-effect is greatly
reduced with the use of both the tumescent anesthesia and microcannulas.
Other, more serious side-effects can include blood clots, infection,
and allergic reactions to the anesthesia.
About The Author
Gray Rollins is a writer for CosmeticSurgeryHelp.com.
To learn about Tumescent liposuction and Tumescent Liposuction Costs,
visit us.
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