Which Kind of Liposuction is Safest? I Just Want my Saddlebags Done?

Dr. Jeffrey Klein, a dermatologist, researched the metabolism of local anesthetic thoroughly and clincially, when discovering tumescent liposuction.  There can be interactions with current medications that you take, as well as sedation were it to be given to you.  I exclusively perform tumescent liposuction without sedation and this provides the greatest safety possible. There are risks with any surgery so discuss this with your surgeon. Then, whether the surgeon uses power liposuction, smart liposuction, ultrasonic liposuction vs. conventional microcannulae liposuction, the different procedures and the risks of contour irregularities and thermal injury must be reviewed.
 

You are smart to eliminate the docs who still do the old method of general anesthesia and traditional liposuction.  Pure local tumescent anesthesia with the micro canulas are the way to go when you want great results and the safest liposuction.  Board certified dermatologists are one of  the the groups  who will have the most experience in this technique and is so worth it .  Sincerely,

David Hansen,MD

The safest type of liposuction is the one performed by a board certified plastic surgeon at a fully accredited facility. Ultrasound, laser, or traditional liposuction will provide very similar results and are all safe and effective. Having the procedure under sedation and local anesthesia decreases some of the complications associated with general anesthesia.

You can certainly have liposuction under sedation with local anesthesia if you have concerns about general anesthesia.  The saddle bag area can easily be treated in this fashion.  I would recommend traditional liposuction (superwet technique). You can also have power-assisted liposuction, which just makes it easier on the surgeon, not you. It's important that the surgeon suctions relatively deep to avoid any contour irregularities (indentations/divots). The type of liposuction is not as important as the surgeon who is performing the procedure.  There are many great plastic surgeons in your area, meet with a few and ask to see as many before and after photos as possible.

Best wishes,

Dr.Bruno

I believe the safest kind of liposuction is done with local anesthesia. The published evidence in the medical literature is clear that liposuction is very safe when performed with local anesthesia. Here are the important points:The safe dose of lidocaine, the local anesthesia, is well established, and there is a wide margin between the safe dose and an overdose. An allergic reaction to lidocaine is so rare, that it's considered something that just doesn't happen.General anesthesia medications are associated with adverse events that aren't always predictable; patients do have unexpected adverse events that can be life-threatening.When a person is "out" under general anesthesia, they're unable to communicate with the surgeon if they're feeling something they shouldn't be feeling. For example, a patient who is "out" may not feel the surgeon straying from the fat space and invading a part of the body where the surgeon shouldn't be. Local anesthesia makes only the fat numb and comfortable, but not the other parts of the body; it's another safety feature.When an anesthesiologist is concerned about his wife undergoing general anesthesia, that's pretty telling. 

From the patient's perspective, local anesthesia for liposuction is a much better choice than general anesthesia. General anesthesia may be more convenient for the surgeon because it reduces the time needed to inject the necessary local anesthetic that is essential to performing liposuction safely. In tumescent local anesthesia relatively large volumes of saline solution containing dilute amounts of the anesthetic (lidocaine) and epinephrine (a drug that constricts the tiny blood vessels within the fat tissue), is injected throughout the volume of fat that is to be treated by liposuction. If correctly administered the anesthetic usually numbs the area completely (making the actual liposuction painless) and eliminates any appreciable bleeding (which greatly reduces post-operative bruising). I wrote the linked article (see below) in an effort to help surgeons maximize patient comfort during tumescent liposuction.


If general anesthesia is not used (and local anesthesia alone is used) it takes more time and effort on the part of the surgeon to thoroughly numb the fat tissue while maintaining maximum comfort for the patient. The usual result is greater (frequently 100%) numbing of the area to be treated, making the liposuction itself painless or nearly so. Also the constriction of tiny blood vessels is more complete, resulting in much less bruising and a faster post-operative recovery. Because such meticulous use of the tumescent local anesthetic is less likely to be done in the setting of general anesthesia, more extensive bruising and a longer recovery is often seen after the use of general anesthesia.

 

 

In addition to the advantages mentioned above, local anesthesia is nearly 100% safe, whereas general anesthesia is much more dangerous and can even be fatal. The safety difference is best illustrated by the fact that nearly all serious complications associated with liposuction have occurred in the setting of general anesthesia; virtually none have been seen when proper tumescent local anesthesia is used exclusively.

Liposuction safety and efficacy is dictated by the surgeon and not the device. What type of surgeon you choose and their level of experience and expertise is the most important factor in achieving a desirable, long term result.

Liposuction under local anesthesia is the safest approach. There are numeous studies confirming this. There is now 20 years of literature on this subject. The most important thing is to see the most experienced liposuction expert you can find in your part of the country.

I understan the fear associated with general anesthesia but depending upon the amounts of fat to be removed would need to be considered in my choice of methods of anesthesia. For me I use local tumescence + face mask or IV sedation. I also preform ALL the types of liposuction methods. Without an examination my guess of type is the combination of Smart Lipo Triplex+traditional lipo. 

Liposuction is a safe procedure when performed on a patient who is in good health by a board-certified plastic surgeon in an accredited surgery facility.  Although liposuction can be performed using only local anesthesia or local anesthesia with IV sedation, I prefer general anesthesia for most cases.