General or Local Anesthesia for Liposuction?

Tumescent liposuction represents a significant advance in the management of localized fat collections.  When this techniques is utilized with local anesthesia alone the response varies from patient to patient. The majority of patients appear to do well and have good results especially when smaller amounts of fat are removed. Unfortunately, we frequently see patients who have had significant pain and discomfort during the injection process when local anesthesia is used alone. 

For this reason, many surgeons supplement local anesthesia with I.V. sedation or general anesthesia to minimize pain and discomfort during the procedure. When utilizing this approach patients can have more fat removed and avoid multiple procedures. The procedure is more comfortable and avoids break through pain which can occasionally occur with local anesthesia alone.

It’s important to realize that all surgical procedures and anesthetic techniques have risks. This is true whether local anesthesia, I.V. sedation or general anesthesia are utilized. Most surgeons who perform tumescent liposuction agree that the anesthetic technique utilized is less important than the use of a certified operating room and the presence of an anesthesiologist. In other words, you don’t want your surgeon to be your anesthesiologist.