Liposuction and fat transfer can be done under local anesthesia with oral or IV sedation, or under general anesthesia. I would suggest meeting with a board certified plastic surgeon and discussing all your concerns.
I do all my liposuction and fat transfer procedures without the use of General Anastasia.Many plastic surgeons still use General Anastasia.You will find that non-plastic surgeons who often label themselves as cosmetic surgeons well almost never use General Anastasia.There is a twofold reason for this.Doctors not trained in plastic surgery can generally not to get privileges in operating rooms and hospitals or surgery centers for procedures are not properly trained in.Weekend courses did generally not constitute proper training but rather for more residency training, Board certification or at least board eligibility as required.This means that the great majority of non-plastic surgeons simply don't have axis to the ability to use General Anastasia since they're not allowed to do surgery informal operating rooms.There are exceptions to this such as non-plastic surgeons who own their own surgery center.While I could certainly use General Anastasia and I have in the past I have learned and mastered the skills involved in keeping patients comfortable during these procedures with local Anastasia and mild sedation.There is a substantial learning curve and learning these techniques.The numbing process needs to be meticulous or patients will not tolerate the procedure which will in turn substantially limits the ability to either complete the procedure or get the desired results.My practice is devoted exclusively to body contouring using various forms of liposuction and fat transfer.There are numerous advantages to not using general anesthesia.These include much better results, increased safety, easier recovery, less bruising, Avoiding complications of general anesthesia and lower costs.I would not choose your plastic surgeon based on the type of anesthesia he or she uses but rather durability to get great results and a proven track record.I would also not want to be one of the first patients as surgeon attempts to do without General Anastasia.While I use fairly light sedation deep sedation is also an option that some surgeons prefer. I have been fortunate to have had great teachers who have taught me the techniques involved in getting patients comfortable for this procedure without the use of general Anistasia.The numbing process itself can take well over an hour and needs to be done in a very exact manner.Once achieved this procedure is easily done while awake.Best,Mats Hagstrom M.D.
