Tumescent liposuction is a standard liposuction technique that permanently removes pockets of unwanted fat, sucking it out through a thin tube called a cannula.
This fat removal procedure can be performed on the abdomen, love handles, hips, thighs, chin, upper arms, and underarms. Like all lipo, it’s intended to remove stubborn fat deposits in healthy adults who are relatively close to their ideal weight; it’s not as a weight-loss solution.
Good candidates are at a relatively healthy weight, with good skin elasticity so the skin can snap back into place once the excess fat is removed.
The term tumescent means “swollen and firm,” and it refers to the type of anesthetic solution used during the procedure. Tumescent fluid contains a combination of lidocaine (to prevent pain) and epinephrine (to minimize blood loss and bruising) in saline solution, explains Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Lutherville, Maryland. Sometimes sodium bicarbonate, a buffering agent, is added to the wetting solution to take the sting out of the infiltration of anesthetic.
When the technique was first described by dermatologic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey A. Klein in the 1980s, it was considered revolutionary “because it allowed liposuction to be performed safely in an outpatient environment and reduced the overall cost,” says Dr. Rodriguez. “With increased availability and lowered cost, the popularity of tumescent liposuction skyrocketed.”
Prior to its advent, traditional liposuction emulsified fat with a saline-based wetting solution that lacked lidocaine and epinephrine, resulting in more blood loss, considerably more postoperative pain, and a longer recovery time. It also required general anesthesia, which costs significantly more than local.
“Given its significant advantages over traditional liposuction, the tumescent technique is currently the standard method of fat extraction,” notes Dr. Rodriguez.
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