Tumescent liposuction in Los Angeles refers to liposuction performed using local anesthesia.
The word tumescent means swollen and firm. In tumescent liposuction, the area to be suctioned is filled with a dilute anesthetic solution. Once the area is numbed, fat can be suctioned easily using small, hollow tubes called cannulas.
Tumescent liposuction was first developed by a dermatologist in the mid 1980′s, and it has been refined since then.
Medical studies report that tumescent liposuction has the lowest risk of complications and highest degree of patient satisfaction. This is because infiltrating the area with anesthetic before suctioning offers several advantages.
Infiltrating the fat enlarges the fat compartment making it easier to target. Also, the anesthetic contains a product that constricts blood vessels reducing the amount of bruising and trauma. The smaller instruments used in tumescent liposuction also reduce the amount of trauma. Because there is less trauma, healing is faster and less painful. Another advantage of liposuction in Los Angeles using local anesthesia only is that the anesthetic used provides pain relief for up to 18 hours after the procedure making recovery a lot less painful. In fact, the anesthesia used in tumescent liposuction is so powerful that no additional anesthetic is required.
There is no need for sedation, twilight, or general anesthesia when tumescent anesthetic is used. This is the main reason that tumescent liposuction is safer than other forms. The risk of anesthesia is the greatest risk in liposuction.