What Areas Can Be Done with Awake Liposuction?

Many Americans turn to liposuction annually to shape and contour their bodies. Tumescent liposuction is the gold standard in the industry and can remove fat from areas resistant to exercise, such as the abdomen, sides, and thighs.

For years, liposuction has been done with IV or general sedation, and it’s still widely used. But awake liposuction, involving local anesthetics or twilight sedation, is becoming more popular.

If you’re thinking about liposuction, it’s wise to learn about awake liposuction to see if it may work for you.

Awake Liposuction Overview

Awake liposuction works the same as standard liposuction but without general or IV sedation. This procedure may be done on patients who need to remove a more significant amount of fat. Typically, the patient is within 30% of their goal weight.

Ideal candidates for awake liposuction usually are in good health but aren’t getting the aesthetic results they want from diet and exercise alone.

This procedure involves no general anesthesia, and your surgeon will use various methods to keep you relaxed and comfortable. You will be fully awake and in control of your body.

The surgeon will inject a combination of lidocaine and epinephrine into the treatment areas to control pain and bleeding.

Then, they will insert a cannula into the treatment areas to remove excess fat and solution. You will feel a gentle rocking motion as the surgeon performs the procedure.

Most awake liposuction procedures take between one and four hours.

Awake Liposuction Treatment Areas

The surgeon can remove the same amount of fat with regular and awake liposuction. One of the primary advantages of awake liposuction is you don’t need to undergo the risks and costs of anesthesia. While most people tolerate anesthesia well, there are occasional complications that can even be life-threatening.

However, you shouldn’t choose this type of procedure if you have an anxiety disorder or low pain tolerance.

If you and your surgeon decide you want awake liposuction, you can treat the abdomen, flanks, double chin, back, hips, thighs, and waist. This procedure can treat almost any area; the major difference is you won’t be asleep.

Patients who need fat removal in several areas can have awake liposuction but may need it in two or three stages. Your surgeon can work out a schedule to get your treatments completed over a few weeks.

Awake Liposuction Recovery Time

One of the most significant benefits of awake liposuction is the recovery time isn’t as long as traditional liposuction. But, unfortunately, recovery is often the bane of many people who want plastic surgery.

After conventional liposuction, you need to spend an hour or two in recovery before you go home. You’ll feel drowsy out of it for the rest of the day, and you need someone to take you home and stay with you overnight.

It can take as long as seven to 10 days before you can go back to regular activities after regular liposuction. Many people don’t like having to be inactive and off work for that long.

But if you have awake liposuction, you go home awake and alert. So you can usually go back to your routine after two or three days. And you can go back to the gym in a week or less.

If you need to have your procedure done faster and with less recovery time, awake liposuction can be the better choice. Imagine being able to have liposuction and go back to work with a slimmer body in only a few days!

Awake Liposuction Results

Another fantastic benefit of awake liposuction is you see results right away. You can quickly see a leaner and slimmer form and improved contours when you stand after the procedure.

The awake liposuction procedure has almost instant results and is superior to noninvasive methods such as CoolSculpting. However, the latter takes several procedures, and you may not see results for months.

However, you won’t see all of your awake liposuction results immediately. First, you will have some swelling. After that, you will take a few weeks to fade and the skin to tighten fully. Then, after a month passes, you can usually see the final results.

Some patients may need additional skin tightening procedures to reduce baggy skin.

Awake liposuction provides all the benefits of traditional tumescent liposuction without anesthesia and downtime. It may be the perfect choice for someone who wants more fat removed with less recovery time.

You also may consider other procedures as well as liposuction to provide even more impressive results. Some popular procedures are breast augmentation, a tummy tuck, and a Brazilian butt lift.

Request A Liposuction Consultation

Interested in liposuction? Dr. Scott J Farber or Dr. Amita Shah of Hill Country Plastic Surgery can help. They will consult with you about liposuction and determine if this procedure will help you meet your aesthetic goals.

References

 Liposuction While Awake? (2018). Accessed at https://www.realself.com/question/east-perth-au-liposuction-awake

About Liposuction. (n.d.). Accessed at https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/liposuction/about/pac-20384586

Tumescent Liposuction Overview. (n.d.). Accessed at https://www.ucsfhealth.org/treatments/tumescent-liposuction