Local or general anesthesia for Vaser?

Thank you for your question. Based on your BMI of 25, you are a good candidate for body sculpting with the VASER. Without photos, no specific advice can be given. Forget how many "areas" to be done. When I do VASER Hi Def Liposculpting, I do not divide the body into artificial areas. This is an idea born and spread by chain liposuction mills so they can charge more. To get a harmonious, natural, athletic, hourglass figure, liposuction 360 degrees needs to be done on the torso. Often, I incorporate the arms and or thighs to match the created sculpted body. I trained with Dr. Alfredo Hoyos of Bogota, Colombia, the inventor of the VASER Hi Def Lipo (VHD). Regarding anesthesia, I do my surgeries under intravenous sedation and tumescent technique only, some do it under general. In both cases the patient is asleep and not aware of pain, but under general anesthesia the patient is also intubated (breathing tube in the throat) and paralyzed. Both are very acceptable, because it allows the surgeon to do sculpting both in the deep plane on the muscle fascia and also superficially right under the skin. This is the principle behind VHD. Both these areas are very painful under awake liposuction with tumescent solution only. If the surgeon has to rely on the patient's feed back of "ouch" to realize that he/she is not supposed to be there, than they should not do these advanced sculpting procedures.See a board certified plastic surgeon experienced in advanced body sculpting techniques for an in person consultation/evaluation. See attached web reference. Good luck.

Hello babybloomedVaser liposuction can be done in-office with local anesthesia or more commonly, I perform this procedure in an outpatient surgery center with either intravenous twilight anesthesia or a general anesthetic. Regardless of anesthesia, it is generally outpatient surgery with a short recovery at the surgery center before traveling home   or to a recovery facility.

You will want to see a vaser HI DEF expert, the procedure under IV and GA can lead to the same results.  The question is the surgeon that you are seeking, you will want to make sure that they can give the hi definition results that you are requesting.  The down time should be no more than 3-4 days. You will feel sore after the procedure but should be able to execute everyday activities.Hope this helps!

Hello babybloomed,

I appreciate your questions! Your current Body Mass Index (BMI) estimate of 25.1 is between the ideal range for a successful VASER Liposuction surgery and recovery. Typically, VASER Liposuction is performed under general anesthesia. Tumescent fluid is injected. This fluid contains anesthetic which helps with pain control during and after the surgery, and epinephrine, which minimizes blood loss. Tumescent fluid is also antibacterial, so there is less chance of infections. The surgeon selects the area to be treated (such as arms, back, abs and flanks) and uses the ultrasound-assisted device to liquefy the fat cells, leaving the surrounding nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue unaffected. The amount of fat that can be aspirated is limited by the amount of lidocaine present in the tumescent fluid that can be safely given. In states such as New York and Florida, there are limitations on how much fat can be aspirated (4 Liters). As short as one week after the surgery, patients can usually return to work and their normal daily life. After 2 weeks, they can resume exercise and physical activity. Patients are likely to be fully recovered from 6-8 weeks after VASER Liposuction. Consult with your plastic surgeon about your particular needs and cosmetic goals. Good luck and may God bless you! Dr. De La Cruz.   

vaser should be done under general anesthesia, and 10 L at once is VERY dangerous.  the max is 5 L in the US and even that makes people feel very weak and iorn pills, IV hydration before and after surgery, as well as hyperbaric oxygen shoud all be done. I suggest weight loss first if you need significant contouring, try obalon ballon system to speed that up.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Thank you for your questions - this is a great topic, of which, many people have a misunderstanding.  First of all, I can tell you that with a BMI of 25 and the fact that you are having 4 areas treated, there is NO WAY anyone could get 5 liters of fat off of you without making it look like you had "bad lipo."  Without photos and without knowing exactly which areas you are considering, I cannot really say much more about expectations with respect to volume of fat removed, but I NEVER get 5 liters off of someone with your build.  Whoever told you they would take it "all" is simply incorrect or over-simplifying things.  You should never want "all" your fat removed; it would look terrible.  Remember, liposuction is not about losing weight at all.  It's about changing the shape and contour of your body.  If a patient is obese going into liposuction, then she'll be obese coming out.  In most of the US, the state medical boards have a regulation limiting the maximum amount of fat that can be removed in an outpatient setting; and in most states, that number is 5 liters.  I tell 100% of my patients, "liposuction does NOT equal weight loss."  If someone your size were going to do her full abdomen (2 areas), waist, and flanks, I would anticipate removing 1-2, maybe 2.5 liters of fat total, on average.  Each liter of fat equals about 2 lbs; so, at best, that is a 5 lb weight reduction.  AND, she would get a great, natural-looking result, getting back all her curves in the right places, but not looking like she was butchered with bad-lipo or "over-done."  My goal as a cosmetic surgeon is to achieve a natural-looking result.As for anesthetic choice, I am of the opinion that less is more.  Liposuction, Vaser included, can be done awake with minimal oral sedation and that would always be my first choice for many reasons.  Some procedures, require more anesthesia, such as liposuction with combined fat grafting for a Brazilian Butt Lift, for example.  "Hi Def" Vaser liposuction will also generally require more than just "minimal" sedation.  Also, some people are better off being more knocked out, particularly those who may be overly anxious being awake in a surgical setting.  I offer my patients the choice of any of the above.  Deep IV sedation or general anesthesia will cost more, because it requires a dedicated anesthesia provider, but for many patients, it is well worth the added cost for their peace of mind at knowing they will not have to be aware of everything that is going around them in the O.R.Advantages and disadvantages of general vs awake anesthesia:General:  Pros:  You are totally out.  No pain at all.  No worries.  Doctor can be as aggressive as needed to remove fat without worrying about possibly causing pain.  Cons:  No chance for patient feedback to surgeon during surgery.  Added expense.Minimal Sedation:  Pros:  Can communicate with surgeon during procedure - safety feature in that if the liposuction cannula goes anywhere it's not supposed to, patient will let the surgeon know immediately (ouch!).  Less expensive.  Fewer side effects from anesthetic medications.  Cons:  Difficult (impossible?) to predict how it will affect you.  Some people are "out cold," while others are wide awake and chatting the whole time and everything in between.  Not a good option for very anxious patients.Good luck and I hope this was helpful!

The type of anesthesia will depend on the amount of fat removal requested. Please consider a skype interview with an HD Vaser specialist to get more specific recommendations.