Anesthesia
Liposuction can be performed using general anesthesia to keep patients comfortably sedated throughout the procedure.
Patients often prefer local/awake procedures because it is less expensive and avoids some things like a sore throat from being intubated. But general anesthesia is an extremely safe choice when done with board-certified anesthesiologists. Denver Liposuction specializes in awake lipo, but will perform procedures under general anesthesia if:
- The patient wants more than three areas treated at one time
- A tummy tucks is being performed
- The patient’s medical history makes it safer to do under general anesthesia
Most of the time it is the patient’s choice!
Today’s Techniques
We use modern technologies and techniques that are designed to improve results. Our collection of advanced techniques includes tumescent fluid, SmartLipo, and VASER liposuction, all of which can be performed with local anesthesia and sedation.
Tumescent Liposuction
Unlike the very first liposuction procedures, today’s lipo includes the use of tumescent fluid. Tumescent fluid was developed in 1985 by a Californian dermatologist, Dr. Jeffrey Klein. He created this solution to avoid the pitfalls of traditional liposuction, such as reduced blood loss and the need for general anesthesia. Also known as Klein’s solution, tumescent fluid is a mixture of saline solution, epinephrine, and lidocaine. When the treatment area is infiltrated with the tumescent fluid, it performs several key functions. Epinephrine constricts blood vessels to minimize blood loss, the saline causes fat cells to become engorged for more efficient fat retrieval, and lidocaine keeps the patient comfortable, enabling the use of local anesthesia.[2] Surgeons can now safely remove more fat for better results, while the addition of long-lasting lidocaine keeps the patient comfortable after their procedure is complete.
SmartLipo
SmartLipo uses a gentle laser that liquefies fat cells.[3] The concentrated thermal energy heats adipose cells, causing them to dislodge from their connective tissues.
VASER Liposuction
VASER liposuction has quickly become a preferred alternative to SmartLipo. VASER liposuction includes the use of high-frequency ultrasound vibrations that delicately shake fat cells loose. VASER technology lets us reach more fat cells easier, allowing for a less invasive procedure that produces enhanced results. What makes VASER unique is its ability to reach fat closer to the surface of the skin and wedged between muscles. Your abdomen, for example, may have fat in between each muscle which makes abdominal definition difficult to achieve. Diet, exercise, and even traditional liposuction are ill-suited to affect this fat. VASER’s vibrations reach this stubborn tissue, allowing us to gently extract it with a cannula. So, patients leave our care with a sculpted abdominal profile.
Benefits of Advanced Techniques
By using local anesthesia and more efficient technologies, these modern liposculpture approaches result in quicker recoveries and slimmer contours that match your desired aesthetic.
Local Anesthesia
With these three techniques, we can safely rely on local anesthesia. Local anesthesia blocks only the targeted nerves from communicating with the brain, leaving the central nervous system unaffected and avoiding an altered mental state.[4] This approach lets patients remain comfortably conscious during their procedure. Also, they don’t have to face the added risk or spend days recovering from anesthesia’s side effects. Patients who choose a modern liposculpture technique are back to their daily routines quicker, showing off their new curves in no time!
Enhanced Results
Simply put, these techniques reach the fat that traditional liposuction can’t. With merely an aspirating cannula, surgeons who perform traditional liposuction have to do multiple passes through fatty tissue to suction out the desired amount. Even then, not all the fat can be treated, leaving the patient with less-than-desirable results such as contour irregularities. Advanced liposuction techniques improve the surgeon’s ability to effectively remove more fat. So, patients are left with enhanced results that are uniquely sculpted to their natural contours.
Treatable Areas
Subcutaneous fat can linger on just about any part of our physique. Modern liposculpture techniques aim to address each of these areas and give the patient slimming results from head to toe. These areas include:
