What kind of anesthesia is used during liposuction?

Because of its minimally invasive nature, liposuction body contouring is usually done under local anesthesia or IV sedation, “twilight sleep,” anesthesia for our Seattle and Bellevue patients. At Bel-Red Center for Aesthetic Surgery in Bellevue, we perform all procedures in our state-of-the-art, Medicare-certified and state-licensed surgical facility. All depth of sedation, from local to general anesthesia are available and we make every effort to accommodate our Bellevue and Seattle patients’ wishes.

The local anesthesia used for modern liposuction or lipo-sculpture is tumescent fluid injected into the area to be treated. Tumescent fluid contains the anesthetic lidocaine as well as epinephrine to constrict blood vessels, thus numbing the patient while minimizing bleeding by constricting blood vessels. Patients undergoing small areas of treatment can be awake and comfortable with local tumescent anesthesia alone during their liposuction procedure, while for larger procedures, a combination of tumescent fluid and IV sedation allows safety and comfort.