Liposuction under local anesthesia

In-office lipo is here

Liposuction is a very common procedure now which removes excess fat from specific areas including abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, upper arms, chin, cheeks and neck. Most liposuction procedures performed by plastic surgeons occurs with the patient under general anesthesia, because often a number of other cosmetic or plastic procedures are occurring at the same time. And as discussed separately, any time anesthesia is used, not only does it raise risk, it also raises the cost.

Now some surgeons developing innovative solutions for plastic surgery without anesthesia. For instance, Dr. Thomas Lyons is now providing liposuction as an in-office procedure in which the true tumescent technique (using only local anesthesia) is not used. “When the patient is able to move and stand up during the liposuction procedure, the doctor can see the correct contours — and the patient can tell you she’d like a little more taken off here, and a little bit there. Under general anesthesia when the patient is lying on a table paralyzed, it’s harder to get liposuction right—people may have to come back for touch-ups, which means more hassle and the expense of additional time in surgery,” said Lyons.

Other benefits of in-office liposuction

There is less potential for drug interaction and fewer complications reported with this technique than with lipo under general anesthetic.
Better aesthetic results for the patient with a diminished need to return for touch-ups.
Diminished Pain: “The local anesthesia doesn’t wear off for 12 hours,” said Lyons. “Patients are able to take a break during the procedure and have something to drink or eat. In this way the patient’s blood sugar levels remain stable and the patient just feels better -- more in control. During my training we did a case on an MD (a prior course attendee) and later that evening we had dinner -- the patient was fine.”
Greater Safety: “A patient who is awake can respond when something unusual happens,” said Dr. Lyons. Liposuction takes time. In a facility time is money, so there is, at times, a rush to complete this portion of a more complex time consuming procedure. Also, general anesthesia adds time to the procedure as well as risks. Since the patients can move, eat, stand and walk around, many of the complications associated with long surgeries can be avoided.
Less Expense: Since the procedure is being performed in the office there is no “facility” fee. The fees paid are to the physician only which makes this a significantly less expensive procedure.

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