Does it hurt to have tumescent under local anesthesia?

Yes, it most certainly does.  The tumescent works only where it is.  If the surgeon tries to feather into the surrounding areas or gets right outside the area that was tumesced, it will limit the results and be extremely uncomfortable.  You should have tumescent under general anesthesia, not sedation (which is where you were drifting in and out).  You are paying for a high quality result, you should receive high quality care.  Local and IV sedation are compromises.  Ask why they are being used.  Most likely it is because it is in a back office or non-accredited facility.  Tumescent is the fluid that reduces the bleeding, gives pain relief, and improves the outcome because of the technical advantage.  Laser is a tool that is completely unnecessary.  

Thanks for your question.  Liposuction done under local anesthesia with some oral pain medications and sedation is tolerated very well by most patients.  I have performed hundreds of such procedures and patients repeatedly tell me it was alot better than they thought it would be.  The injection of the local anesthetic or tumescent fluid is usually the part that patients may feel, though many of by patients tell me that they do not feel anything during the procedure.  The abdominal area is usually more sensitive compared to other areas, especially around the belly button and over the ribs, because of increased innervation.  Using a higher concentration of local anesthetic in the tumescent solution in this area helps.   Hope this helps...best of luck!

Tumescent liposuction can be performed very comfortably.At the same time, as with any procedure, there may be some discomfort during and afterwards.It is important to review your concerns with your doctor and have adequate pain medications. There are plenty of choices to make the whole experience as comfortable as it can be.I hope that helps and best regards, Dr. Sapijaszko.

Thank you for your question.Tumescent Liposuction can be done comfortably under local anesthesia for small areas. If significant amount of Liposuction is needed over a large / multiple areas, you would be much more comfortable under general anesthesia. Tumescent Liposuction can be done with or without the VASER technology. The latter is a way of liquefying fat with the help of ultrasound. Tumescent refers to injecting large amount of fluids to make the cells swell up before liposuction. All the surgeons I know use tumescent technique when they use VASER.All The Best !

Thank you for your question.  In general, when treating larger areas or multiple areas it is more comfortable for patients to have general anesthesia rather than local and tumescent. Much of this will also depend on the patient's overall health.  See an ASPS board certified surgeon, they can give you the best recommendation based on your desired goals. 

I agree with my colleagues that limited areas of liposuction can be done safely and with minimal discomfort on an awake patient with local anesthesia and a tumescent solution.  Oral sedatives can also help to relax a patient and make the experience easier.  I would point out that while you should not feel discomfort, you will be aware of the cannula moving through the soft tissue.  Much like at the dentist, you may not feel pain, but you are still aware that the doctor is working on your teeth.   Only you know how well you will be able to manage that awareness.  Best of luck.  

There is definitely an art to local anesthesia when doing tumescent liposuctions. Going slow and gently and having a little iv sedation makes the whole experience easy and painless. It is so much safer and your doc can stand you up during the procedure to fine tune the results. Our patients even watch DVD movies during the whole procedure for fun. Sincerely, David Hansen,MD

Liposuction can be done very safely under local anesthesia. Once the areas are numbed, you should have little discomfort. However, during the numbing process you will notice some pinching or some pain. Most surgeons give medication prior to the numbing process to make it more comfortable. If, however, you want no pain at all, consider doing liposuction under general anesthesia.