Ask Dr. Pane: What Are the Pros and Cons of Awake Lipo?

At Atlantic Coast Aesthetics, we hear from a lot of patients who are about equally excited and worried about what we call “awake liposuction.” An example of this is the topic of this week’s Ask Dr. Pane post. Amber, a patient from Hialeah, asks, “What are the pros and cons of awake lipo?” This is a great question because it’s broad enough to really drill down into the positives and potential drawbacks depending upon the patient!

Awake lipo is generally defined as liposuction which is performed under local anesthesia, sometimes combined with a mild oral sedative. It’s great for smaller or limited, well-defined areas where the skin is in good tone and condition and there’s not much volume to remove, as well as areas of the body with limited nerve endings. This part is important because there are some places on the body which simply do not lend themselves well to awake lipo, for reasons of patient safety and comfort.

Typically, the choice of anesthesia depends on a number of factors, including the type and extent of the procedure, the area of the body where it’s being performed, and the expected duration of the procedure. The latter is important because it’s obviously harder to hold still during long procedures, which can compromise both patient safety and the final outcome, as well as potentially taking longer to recover from.

One of the most obvious advantages of awake lipo is that it costs less. Because you’re generally working with a smaller area, and you’re not under the sort of sedation which requires the services of an anesthesiologist, it saves you money and in most cases, you can drive yourself home after the procedure. The recovery time is generally minimal and you can resume normal activities under the same timeframe as regular lipo.

The drawbacks are much more extensive and subjective. For some patients, the discomfort experienced during the procedure may exceed their pain tolerance. As mentioned above, some people might find it difficult to hold still for the duration of the procedure, which can lead to its own issues. Further complicating matters, everyone has a different pain tolerance and response to stimulus. A sensation in any given area which one person experiences as minor discomfort or even a vaguely pleasant sensation may present as intolerable agony to someone else, even if the patients are nominally identical in every other respect.

If you’re interested in awake lipo, Dr. Thomas A. Pane is happy to consult with you to find the right procedure to meet your needs and goals. As a board-certified cosmetic and emergency surgeon, he has the skill and experience to help you select the surgical procedure and sedation which works with your body type to deliver optimal results. It is very important to remember that awake lipo may not be the best choice for every patient or every situation, and in some cases simply isn’t possible. When consulting with a cosmetic surgery professional, patients should keep an open mind regarding their options and be honest about the results and outcomes they desire to get the best possible effects.

Your question could be ACA’s next Question of the Week! Just follow us on Facebook, call us at (561) 708-1070 or email us at https://acplasticsurg.com and ask away! Dr. Pane may choose your question to answer in an upcoming live Google Hangout, helping us help others while getting you the straight answers about cosmetic surgery you need. Remember, the only bad question is the one you don’t ask!