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General or Local Anesthesia for Liposuction?

asked 2 years ago by innam in new york
Latest answer by Ronald Shelton, MD
Question viewed 1,800 times
Tags: outer thighs, anesthesia, fat, removal

I've heard that more fat can be taken out under general anestesia than under local. Is it true? General anestesia liposuction is a more expensive choice, but I want to take as much fat as possible from my outer thighs. On the other hand, local anasthesia lipo enables a patient to stand up to compare results. Which type is better?

14 answers to General or Local Anesthesia for Liposuction?

Outer thigh liposuction by local anesthesia gives far superior results

If you are wanting the best results and you are only needing the outer thighs done, then liposuction under local anesthesia is your best choice by far since you can get as much as possible out from your outer thighs under local and do it in the safest way also.

David Hansen, MD
Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon

www.DrDavidHansen.com

Liposuction under local anesthesia is by far much safer

Dear Innam It is important to understand that the mortality rate for liposuction under general anesthesia continues to be much higher than the mortality rate for liposuciton under local anesthesia. It is thought that this higher rate of death is related to several factors including the drugs needed for the anesthesia. The mortality rate for liposuction under general anesthesia varies with the reporting study but is somewhere between 1 in 40,000 cases to as high as 1 in 5,000 cases. The... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Liposuction and anesthesia

Local anesthesia is more safe when conforming to the guidelines of tumescent liposuction. There is a limit to how much local anesthetic can be administered, though, so there is a limit to how much fat can be removed at one time. There also is a limit to how much fat can be removed under general anesthesia before the risk of the procedure increases, so it may be that in your case, the amount that can be removed might not be more using general anesthesia. Seek a consultation with a board... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

Liposuction anesthesia depends on what has to be done

Liposuction is different for each patient. I see patients that need just a little bit of fat removal and skin tightening around the hips or thighs and that can be done nicely under local anesthesia. Use of the SmartLipo laser can cause less trauma because the canulas are smaller. The patient has to be somewhat cooperative, though. However, for more extensive liposuction, anesthesia, whether general or IV sedation should be used so that the surgeon can be more aggressive to give the best... more

Shain A. Cuber, MD
Marlboro Plastic Surgeon

www.AssociatesinPlasticSurgery.com

Liposuction under local vs general anesthesia

Liposuction can be performed under either local or general anesthesia depending on the areas that are being treated and the patient. If the patient is very cooperative you can perform the procedure with local and sedation, however they can occasionally become uncomfortable during the procedure which can prolong the surgery. If a patient has no medical problems and is in relatively good health, then general anesthesia is very reasonable because the patient does not have to worry about... more

William Bruno, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Not exactly

It is often said that it is not what you remove, but what you leave in with liposuction that is important. Also, you really don't want ALL the fat removed anyway, just enough to give a pleasing result. That said, lipo can be safely and comfortably done while awake. It is best not to do large volume liposuction this way, so you should ask your doctor to evaluate and give his honest opinion as to what would be best/safest for you.

Scott E. Kasden, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Anesthesia selection for Liposuction

The choice of anesthesia for liposuction is quite difficult. Some prefer to perform this under local anesthesia, mostly because the general public has a fear of general anesthesia. The truth is that general anesthesia when done properly is quite safe. Also, there are many different categories within the term "general" so it can be misleading. I prefer to perform liposuction under general anesthesia. This allows my patients to be more comfortable, and allows me to do a better job removing... more

Matthew Schulman, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Anesthesia options for liposuction

There are few topics more confusing than choosing the anesthesia for liposuction. To begin with, there are 3 options: local only (often called "tumescent"), intravenous sedation with local (this may actually be the most common), and general. In my opinion, the choice of anesthetic does not relate specifically to how much fat is removed, though sometimes with local only it can be a less than completely comfortable experience, so most of the time we do IV sedation + local. What... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

"Removing as much fat as possible" should not necessarily be the goal of a liposuction procedure

We perform liposuction under tumescent anesthesia in the office as well as under general anesthesia, depending on several factors. These include the anticipated amount of aspirate, number of areas to be liposuctioned and patient preference. I would caution you however that excellent liposuction results can be obtained with either technique, and that the fat left behind is as important as the fat removed to obtaining excellnt contours after liposuction.

W. Tracy Hankins, MD
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

General anesthesia for maximal results.

This is a difficult quesiton with no definitive answer. Clearly there are advantages and disadvantages to either approach. If you want to have as much fat as possible removed, I would advise general anesthesia.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction and anesthesia

I find that patients do not tolerate aggressive liposuction under straight local. With general anesthesia, the patients are more comfortable, and not moving around while I am doing the liposuction. This allows me to concentrate on the procedure and the results as I am working. I can also be more aggressive because the patients are not "feeling" the procedure occurring.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

General anesthesia is better for thorough liposuction.

Hi! 1) I have done it both ways, and general anesthesia is much better. The surgeon can work without restriction. And we turn the patient to check for contour and symmetry. 2) For liposuction to be safe, you should have an anesthesiologist present whether it's local or general. So don't corners on safety. 3) Even though we use general or epidural anesthesia, it's tumescent liposuction. So we inject a lot of local anesthesia into the tissues, and you have little pain after recovery.... more

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

There is no "better" anesthesia

You need to coordinate your surgery and goals with your surgeon and anesthesiologist. Extensive liposuction usually is done under general anesthesia although some doctors think it can also be done under local. The problem with local anesthesia alone is that you have to be careful of toxicity of the anesthestic medication. The more you need to use, the higher the chance of toxicity that might occur hours after the procedure. Many patients using tumescent liposuction under straight local... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Either one can be used.

However, we find that patients are most comfortable with general anesthesia so they feel absolutely no pain of injection and enjoy not being aware of the mechanics of the fat removal. Other patients prefer tumescent type of liposuction.