Tumescent Versus Ultrasonic Liposuction

Liposuction is a very popular cosmetic procedure used to remove unwanted fat from areas of the body that are difficult to target and eliminate through exercise and diet alone. Originally invented in 1974 by an Italian gynecologist, liposuction techniques have been continually updated throughout the years to make them more effective and safe.

When liposuction became widespread in the US in the 1980s, side effects such as excessive bleeding or a rippling of the skin after surgery were much more common. Since then, techniques like tumescent liposuction and ultrasonic liposuction have been invented to make it easier for cosmetic surgeons to target, break up and remove fat. While tumescent and ultrasonic liposuction are considered to be the two most advanced and effective techniques by today’s standards, the type of fat cells being targeted and their location on the body need to be considered before a choice is made. During your cosmetic procedure consultation, your surgeon can recommend the best choice based on your personal goals and the specific advantages of each technique.

Tumescent Liposuction

Before 1985, the only kind of liposuction technique being used was called ‘dry liposuction’. It was fairly simple and entailed the surgeon removing fatty tissue through the use of a cannula – a narrow surgical instrument that breaks up fatty tissue and sucks it out of the body. Although the method worked, it took a very skilled cosmetic surgeon to target the fat correctly, the procedure could be painful and cause damage to surrounding tissue, and it often produced varying results. To aid in identifying the fatty tissue that needs to be removed, a California dermatologist by the name of Jeffrey Klein invented a technique called ‘tumescent’ liposuction.

For this technique, a saline solution containing local anesthetic is injected in the areas to be sculpted. The amount of saline injected is generally equal to or larger than the amount of targeted fat in volume. When the solution is injected, the fatty tissue will rise up and swell until it becomes firm (the word tumescent means ‘swollen or firm’). This allows the surgeon to see exactly what areas of fat need to be removed without disturbing the surrounding tissue. This means less bleeding and trauma to the patient and a much smoother surface area.

Ultrasonic Liposuction

To successfully remove more fibrous fatty tissue on the body – like fatty tissue on the back or the tissue in male breasts – the ultrasonic liposuction technique was invented. Ultrasonic liposuction employs the use of a specialized cannula that can transmit targeted ultrasound vibrations into the body. These vibrations rupture the fat cell walls and liquefy the fat so it can be easily removed using suction.

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