Difference Between Tumescent and Ultrasonic Liposuction - Why You Need to Know

Looking to have liposuction done? Then you may have begun your search for the best procedures. Likely, you have come across various terms for liposuction, such as lipoplasty and suction-assisted lipoplasty. These are all the same thing; tumescent liposuction. Any other terms that have the name ultrasonic in it are different. So what is the difference between tumescent and ultrasonic liposuction? They both provide the same results, but in the matter of getting there - they are driving two different vehicles.

With tumescent liposuction, you will not have to undergo any anesthesia that will put you to sleep. You can stay awake the entire time and you will be able to move at the dermatologic surgeon's request. During this process, the areas of your body that will be liposuctioned will be injected with a cannula - a thin long rod that is ¼ inch in diameter - and salt water or tumescent fluid is placed in the areas that will be suctioned.

It all depends on where you have the procedure done that will determine how it will be conducted. Some people use salt water and others use tumescent or a small amount of anesthetic drugs to help minimize the amount of bleeding during the process. Are you still asking "What is the difference between tumescent and ultrasonic liposuction?" Read on.

Ultrasonic liposuction is a more popular method of liposuction that is used by many people. The reason for its popularity is that its said to have less bleeding and pain involved. Unlike the tumescent liposuction method, there isn't really that much cutting of the skin either. There are two types of ultrasonic liposuction procedures available; internal and external. External is what most people flock to the most. This uses external paddle-like instruments that are placed in the areas that need the liposuction. These instruments then generate ultrasonic waves (meaning high-pitched noise), which cause the fat to loosen. There is also a lot of vibrations that help to make this happen. Most of the time, the fluid pumped in before hand is water because it acts as a better medium for the ultrasonic instruments. Afterward, the fat is vacuumed out through a cannula.

What is the different between tumescent and ultrasonic liposuction? Well, with the external ultrasonic liposuction, the use of a cannula, which is a thin rod that is used to inject fluids into the area; it also stays in the skin throughout the process until being attached to the vacuum. The cannula is used to vibrate the fat to cause it to loosen, so that it will be easier to suck through the tube. First and second-generation cannula rods were much smaller, but had issues with overheating. Today they come with metal jackets that keep them cooled by the water that was injected, but in result, these are much bigger since most of the space is taken up by the jacket.

So the main difference between the two is the use of ultrasonic instruments.

Brandon Walsh