Blog

LOCAL OR GENERAL ANESTHESIA FOR  LIPOSUCTION?

Surgeons differ in their opinion as to the proper anesthesia to be used for liposuction procedures.  Some prefer to use general anesthesia for all of their liposuction procedures.  Other liposurgeons recommend the use of local anesthesia.  Most liposurgeon specialists prefer a combination of local anesthesia and intravenous sedation “twilight anesthesia”.

General anesthesia adds risks and cost to a liposuction procedure.  An anesthesiologist will have to be hired, adding an average of $1000 to the cost of the procedure.  General anesthesia also substantially increases the risk of a liposurgery.  General anesthesia stresses the heart and the lungs.  It also substantially increases the risks of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli (blood clots to the lungs).

Modern liposuction procedures like Smartlipo and Tumescent liposculpture were designed to be used with local and intravenous anesthesia, not general anesthesia.

Some surgeons use only local anesthesia for all of their procedures.  This promotes a fast recovery time, with the patient up and moving within 15-30 minutes after surgery.  Patients will experience some discomfort with local anesthesia only and liposurgery procedures may take 2-3 hours to perform when several body areas are treated.

Most liposurgeon specialists prefer a combination of intravenous sedation and local anesthesia.  This allows maximum patient comfort with minimal patient risk.  Patients may leave the surgery center about an hour after liposurgery and return home with someone to transport and stay with them for a period of time.

Note:  When utilizing intravenous sedation or general anesthesia, a doctor must use an accredited surgical center.  This is a law.  The accreditation of the surgery center guarantees that the doctor and staff have training and experience in the use of anesthesia as well as many safety issues such as emergency equipment, backup power systems, and sterilization techniques.  Local anesthesia may be performed in an office setting without a surgical center license.  For your safety, you should make sure you are having your lipo procedure performed at an accredited surgery center.

Kelly O’Neil, M.D.

Dr O’Neil is a cosmetic surgeon in Temecula, California with offices in Orange County and Sherman Oaks.  His practice specializes in liposculpture and fat transfer procedures.

Cosmetic Surgery Educational Seminars

Seminars are given by Dr Kelly O’Neil, a Cosmetic Surgeon, to educate potential aesthetic patients about new advances and technologies in Facial Rejuvenation. Nonsurgical procedures and techniques are explored and compared to conventional surgical procedures.

In the last 5 years Cosmetic and Plastic surgery procedures have dropped 25-30% while, at the same time, nonsurgical cosmetic procedures have risen over 100%. Patients prefer nonsurgical procedures because they are less invasive, safer, and less expensive. Also, there are no scars involved. When properly performed; non-surgical cosmetic procedures are usually more natural looking as well.

Examples of non-surgical modalities to be discussed are Botox, Fillers (Restylane and Juvederm), liquid face and handlifts, chemical peels, ultrasound skin tightening, nonsurgical facelifts, lasers (fraxel), and radio frequency (Thermage, Titan). Dr O’Neil will demonstrate and explain why non-surgical technologies are superior to surgery for the removal of facial wrinkles and sun damage.

Modern techniques of body contouring such as Smartlipo and Tumescent Liposculpture will also be discussed as well as how to tighten skin or body areas such as abdomen or arms without surgery.

The following locations are sites for our upcoming seminars.  Seminars begin at 2:30pm and last until 4 pm.  During the seminar, Dr. O’Neil will speak on his procedures and show a “Before and After” slide presentation on his Skin Rejuvenation, Body Contouring and Liquid Facelift.  Following the seminar, he will offer brief, complimentary consultations for those interested in scheduling a procedure.  This is a great opportunity for you to meet Dr. O’Neil and visit with past patients who have had work done by Dr. O’Neil and who will share their experience and their new look with you.

If you are a past patient, you may pass this along to a friend if you cannot attend.  If your friend books a procedure, Dr. O’Neil will send you a gift certificate for complimentary Botox or Dermal filler (up to $750 value).  Don’t wait, call Sue, email us sue@oneilskinandlipocenter.com or fill out the contact box below to RSVP for yourself and a friend.

UPCOMING SEMINAR LOCATIONS 

02/07/12                     Crowne Plaza Hotel/Beverly Hills

02/16/12                     Classic Club/Palm Desert

02/21/12                     Seacliff Country Club/Huntington Beach

03/01/12                     Braemar Country Club/Tarzana

03/06/12                     Hyatt Regency/Newport Beach

03/15/12                     Rancho Los Palmas Resort & Spa/Rancho Mirage

03/20/12                     Beverly Hills Country Club/Los Angeles

04/03/12                     Woodland Hills Golf Club/Woodland Hills

04/12/12                     Indian Wells Golf Club/Indian Wells

04/17/12                     Sun City Indio Community Assoc./Indio

04/24/12                     The Westin/Long Beach

05/08/12                     Springhill Suites by Marriott/Temecula

05/15/12                     Renaissance Club Sport/Aliso Viejo

05/22/12                     To Be Determined/Sherman Oak

Body Sculpting, Temecula

Dr. Kelly O’Neil uses the latest technology in body sculpting called Tumescent Body Sculpting. This technique, developed by a dermatologist, has been used extensively for many years on thousands of patients at The O’Neil Skin And Lipo Medical Center. With Tumescent Body Sculpting, the area to be treated is filled with a sterile fluid. The fluid is a saline solution, which contains local anesthesia medication. The procedure is meant to slenderize, reshape and contour your body. It is not a weight loss method nor a treatment for obesity.

The fat is removed with very small “micro cannulas” that are rounded with no sharp edges, unlike the larger sharp cannulas used in “old style” liposuction. The micro cannulas are connected to a vacuum (suction) machine. They are inserted into the fatty tissue through very tiny incisions. The cannula is gently moved around, very superficially under the skin, and the fatty deposits are suctioned away to improve your body contour. The fat is removed with minimal trauma and bleeding reducing one of the major dangers of liposuction.

Because there is minimal trauma and bleeding there is also minimal bruising and soreness. Most patients return to daily activities or work in two to three days. Patients may return to limited gym and more extensive activities in a week.

The anesthesia is in the fluid, which “numbs” the area to be treated. In most cases the patient is given intravenous sedation to make the experience more pleasant.

Tumescent liposculpture is performed as an outpatient surgery. Some patients return home immediately after their procedure. Others stay one night at a local recovery center to recuperate and are easily able to drive themselves home the following morning.

Tumescent Liposculpture Before and After

Tumescent liposculpture provides excellent results especially when compared to “old style” liposuction techniques (see adjacent before and after photos). Because the fat is expanded with fluid, a greater percentage can be removed. And because small “micro cannulas” are used we can remove the fat very close to the skin (with large cannulas this would cause “ridging” or “grooves”). This results in “skin retraction” and eliminates the need for abdominoplasty (tummy-tuck) in many cases.

Your body has a fixed number of fat cells in any given area. When you gain weight you expand the fat cells that you have. The fat cells are permanently removed with tumescent liposuction. Should you gain weight after liposuction, it goes into the fat cells that remain in your body. The treated areas will be the last areas to pick up fat and can no longer balloon out of proportion to the surrounding areas.

Medical Treatment For Fat Removal, Temecula

Cryolipolysis, also called coolsculpting by Zeltiq, is the latest medical treatment for removing unwanted fat.  Cryolipolysis utilizes a non-invasive cooling devise to break down subcutaneous fat cells.  The body gradually, over three to four months, breaks down the damaged fat cells and reabsorbs them.  The result is a reduction of inches in the treated area and improved body contouring.

It has been found that subcutaneous fat cells are more susceptible to the effects of cold than other surrounding tissues and that body fat may be reduced without damage to other tissues with this coolsculpting device.  Results of cryolipolysis have proven to be long lasting and no adverse effects to blood cholesterol have been noted.

A Coolsculpting session typically takes about 1 hour.  No anesthesia, needles or cuts are required.  It is considered an alternative to other body contouring techniques, such as tumescent liposculpture, liposuction or Smart Lipo (laser lipolysis).  There may be some redness or mild bruising in the treated area which usually resolves in a few days.  Cost is similar to other liposculpting procedures and usually runs around $3,000 per treated area!

Cryolipolysis is primarily designed for patients who are only modestly overweight, as shown in the adjacent before and after photo.  If the fatty layer is too deep the coolsculpture device will not be able to cool the deeper layers and inadequate fat removal will occur. This will result in the need for repeat procedures.  Cryolipolysis is not designed to remove large volumes of fat.  Larger fat volumes or thicker fat layers will be better treated with modern body contouring procedures like Tumescent liposculpture or Smart lipo.

Cryolipolysis is designed to slenderize a body area that is modestly overweight.  If true body contouring is required, tumescent liposculpture or Smart lipo may be the best choice.  Also, if multiple body sites are required, Smart liposculpture may be more cost effective.  But if the offending fat is modest, and only one or two body areas are to be treated, Coolsculpting is a safe non-invasive technique for fat reduction.

Kelly J. O’Neil, M.D.