Smart Lipo Q&A
77%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
869 Reviews
Smart Lipobefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average Smart Lipo Cost: $4,950

Learn about Smart Lipo

3,353 people and 270 doctors are talking about Smart Lipo

Get Free Email Updates

Is Local Anesthesia for Smartlipo Pain Normal?

asked 9 months ago by Dusty1234
Latest answer by Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD
Question viewed 154 times
Tags: local anesthesia, normal, pain

I recently had Smartlipo in my core area. It took about half an hour for the front and half an hour for the back to inject the local. I was told the pain was from the fluid moving throughout the area. I thought I was going to die, the pain was so bad. I was given a pill to relax me, but I was not ready for the extreme pain I experienced. Is this normal for the local anesthesia to be painful for this type of procedure?

4 answers to Is Local Anesthesia for Smartlipo Pain Normal?

+3

Local Anesthesia for Smart Lipo

I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Blinski. As a board certified plastic surgeon I generally prefer my patients to have some sort of sedation when having liposuction. It is too difficult to get a patient completely comfortable under straight local anesthetic. Having said that, on one small localized area I will occasionally offer local as an option provided the area again is small and the patient is adamant about having local only. Theoretically, any surgery can be... more
Jeffrey Hartog, MD

Orlando Plastic Surgeon
+3

Is Local Anesthesia for Smartlipo Pain Normal?

Great question. This is a huge sticking point with me. As a national instructor in Smart lipo and being a boarded PS I can tell from your question that your chosen surgeon WAS not a PS. I done 95% of my Smart Lipos under sedation or general anesthesia + the local. Pain during an operation is our enemy. I want a happy patient not one who experiences unpleasantness. Sorry for your experiences. It should not be that way.
Darryl J. Blinski, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon
+2

Smartlipo, Local Anesthesia and Pain

Unfortunately, I do not think that your experience is entirely rare. You are not the first patient I have heard describe their experience this way. While Smartlipo is highly touted as being comfortably done under local anesthesia, that has not always been my experience. I think that for some smaller areas the use of local anesthesia can be reasonably comfortable. But when it comes to larger areas, particularly those that extend around the waistline and into the back, getting the... more
Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD

Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com

+1

Placing local anesthesia for liposucion

Liposuction, with or without a laser, can be done completely with local anesthesia without the need for general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. There will be some discomfort during the placement of the local anesthetic, but it shouldn't be more than just that, discomfort, not extreme pain. I've done over 5000 local anesthetic-only liposuction procedures, and it is very rare for the placement of the fluid to be more than the level of discomfort, usually a stinging or pinching... more
Kimberly Finder, MD

San Antonio Dermatologic Surgeon

www.theliposurgeryclinic.com

Ask a question