Tumescent Lipo vs. Traditional Lipo

The differences in liposuction can be divided into 2 major groups currently, Tumescent Lipo and Traditional Lipo. These 2 groups vary mainly in the type of anesthesia and suction cannulas used. Tumescent Lipo uses a local anesthetic which is injected into the fat layer to numb the area prior to fat suctioning. The patient is awake with tumescent lipo, therefore smaller and gentler suction cannulas are used which result in less trauma and easier recovery. In Traditional Lipo, a patient is under general anesthesia, asleep and on a ventilator. While under general anesthesia, there is more urgency to complete a surgery rapidly. Therefore, much larger cannulas (sometimes twice the size) are used to remove fat more quickly. These larger cannulas used with traditional lipo, result in more bleeding, bruising, and pain afterward. General anesthesia also has more risks associated with it than local anesthesia. As far as which type gives better results, it is usually dependent on the skill of the lipo doctor. However, with local anesthetic, and the patient being awake, a major advantage is that the patient can stand or hold the body with rigidity, which allows body contours to be viewed more accurately, and thus sculpted more accurately.

Table of comparisons for Tumescent vs Traditional Lipo