What Is Tumescent Liposuction?
With the right doctor and technique, a body contouring procedure can produce satisfying benefits for all types of patients. Liposuction is one such treatment that has helped multitudes of people find newfound confidence in their bodies.
If you are in the Gatineau area and hope to benefit from a similar procedure, consider tumescent liposuction by Dr. Patricia Berbari. With the aid of the tumescent solution, surgery is virtually painless and results are visually stunning.
What Is Tumescent Liposuction?
In a typical liposuction procedure, patients are given general or local anesthesia before having fat removed through a small tube, called a cannula. In tumescent liposuction, the anesthesia is injected as part of a solution that carries additional surgical advantages.
Patients are injected with a combination of lidocaine, a highly effective local anesthetic, and epinephrine. This causes nearby fat tissue to become swollen and firm, making its removal easier. The outcome is a virtually painless surgery with fewer risks and side effects.
How Tumescent Liposuction is Performed
If you and your plastic surgeon decide that tumescent liposuction is right for you, the surgery will proceed in the following sequence:
- Tumescent solution will be injected into subcutaneous fat, causing temporary swelling and firmness, and numbing the area.
- An incision will be made at the surgical site for insertion of the cannula. The size of your incision depends on where it is, how much fat is being removed, and whether the procedure is being combined with other techniques such as laser-assisted or power-assisted liposuction.
- Unwanted fat tissue will be removed through the cannula while the surgeon creates new contours to complement the body.
- The cannula will be removed and the incision sutured. Drainage tubes may be inserted to remove excess fluids, although this is less necessary with effects of the tumescent solution.
Even though tumescent liposuction is an outpatient procedure and local anesthesia has relatively mild side effects, it is still recommended that you arrange for assistance driving home. You should also avoid physical activity for the rest of the day, aside from light walking to maintain proper circulation.
The Benefits of Tumescent Liposuction
Tumescent solution has become a customary part the liposuction procedure for many doctors. It has also enabled more advanced treatments, such as ultrasound-assisted liposuction, to be performed with minimal risk to patients. Here are the primary advantages of tumescent liposuction:
- Greater surgical accuracy: By enlarging fat tissue, surgeons can more easily remove and manipulate it. This has a directly positive impact on a patient’s results.
- Less pain: The combination of lidocaine and epinephrine can greatly reduce pain during surgery, if not eliminate it entirely. Patients who experience unusual discomfort can often have additional anesthesia injected without complication.
- Less bleeding: Epinephrine constricts the blood vessels within tissue, limiting their rupture and subsequent blood loss. Intravenous fluid is therefore not needed, and any bleeding during recovery is drastically reduced.
- Less bruising and swelling: Bruising and swelling are common side effects during the healing process, and can rarely be avoided. However, tumescent liposuctions can reduce these effects for a more comfortable recovery.
Risks and Complications
Before surgery, speak with your doctor about any possible risk factors that may inhibit recovery. In order to diminish the risk of infection during recovery, take any antibiotics given for as long as instructed. Similarly, wear the compression garment that will likely be given to you until otherwise directed.
While rare, complications can include blood clots, nerve injury, or skin irregularities. Through a comprehensive discussion with your doctor, you can determine whether liposuction is a safe procedure for you.
Interested in Liposuction?
If you are interested in this rewarding procedure or similar body contouring techniques, contact our office to schedule an appointment with Dr. Berbari. Through an informative consultation, you can decide which of our services can best suit your needs.