Wide awake liposuction? Really?
Yes! Really! At Bloom Plastic Surgery we offer wide-awake small-volume liposuction in the office in our AAAASF certified procedure room. We are able to tackle small to medium areas and we can combine this with our technology from InMode, which includes AccuTite, FaceTite, BodyTite, and Morpheus. The ability to perform liposuction in a near painless manor has really revolutionized what we are able to accomplish for our patients.
Benefits of an awake in-office liposuction
- Easier recovery: If you can avoid intravenous or general anesthesia, your immediate recovery will be much easier. Heavy anesthetics have some known side effects like headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion and drowsiness. This can make the first day after any procedure difficult. Using only local anesthetics with oral medication will avoid many of these issues. After an awake liposuction procedure in our office, you will be able to walk with your caretaker to the car. There is no waiting around in a recovery room for hours until you wake up. Since we do give you oral medications during the procedure, you will not be able to drive yourself home and will need to have a responsible adult with you for 24 hours after the procedure.
- Lower overall cost: Surgical facilities and anesthesiologists fees add cost to any procedure. In-office procedures do not require an anesthesiologist or hospital operating room lowering your out of pocket expense.
- Decreased risk: Data shows that procedures completed with you awake in the office have lower risk of postoperative infections and complications. This is true across all procedure types but the amount of decrease does vary. Therefore, you should feel confident that having an awake in-office procedure is a very safe choice.
Our Commitment to Patient Safety
To ensure that our patients are receiving the highest level of care on par with that of surgery centers and hospitals; Bloom Plastic Surgery has earned AAAASF certification. AAAASF (Quad ASF) is an external organization that oversees that our procedures are adhering to rigorous safety protocols and procedures. To become an accredited facility, a practice must comply with the most stringent set of applicable standards available in the nation. AAAASF creates strict requirements for facility directors, medical specialist certification and staff credentials. Bloom Plastic Surgery earned its certification with a thorough process including an on-site survey by a qualified AAAASF surveyors.
Our desire to maintain certification by AAAASF is a testament to our commitment to patient safety at Bloom Plastic Surgery. This optional qualification sets us apart from other practices providing similar in office surgery services. Dr. Bloom prioritizes his patients well being above all and partnering with AAAASF has helped achieve that goal.
How much fat can be removed?
We can approach small and medium problem areas in the office. This allows us to remove 500cc of fat in a single session. 500 cc’s is analogous to a volume in between a can of coke and a 20 oz bottle – or 12 and 20 oz. This allows Dr. Bloom to address areas such as the neck, the anterior fat that bulges out in the bra line, the medial thighs, lower abdomen, and even the area between the buttock and the thigh. All of these areas can be addressed during an awake in-office procedure. When combined with our skin and soft tissue tightening device by InMode, this can be an extraordinarily powerful procedure that mimics the results that you would get in the operating room without having the need for going to a surgery center. This ultimately saves the patient significant cost as we eliminate the need for a facility and anesthesia fees. In addition, we eliminate the need for IV’s and other anesthesia medications leading to a faster recovery process. Awake, in-office procedures are completed in under two hours. We have found that limiting these procedures to under two hours maximizes the patient experience.
How do we complete these procedures with patients wide awake?
Two weeks prior to surgery, all patients complete a pre-op appointment where we go over all the details of procedure and consent forms. At that time, Dr. Bloom will prescribe perioperative medications. Patients are instructed to take an antibiotic and pain medication one hour prior to surgery. After arriving at the office, Dr. Bloom will mark the patient and then numb the areas we will be using for access points. Once the patient is sterilely prepped, a numbing solution (tumescent fluid) is placed into the territory that is to be treated with liposuction. This is a mixture of lidocaine which serves as a numbing agent; epinephrine, which decreases bleeding risk; and sodium bicarbonate, which makes the application of the infused solution much more comfortable for the patient. We administer this solution in a methodical and slow fashion. The slower we infuse the tumescent fluid, the more comfortable the application of the medication is for the patient.
Once that medication has been infused we let that sit, or marinade, for about 10-15 minutes to take effect. This maximizes both vasoconstriction which decreases bleeding risk ,but also ensures the novacane is fully activated in the underlying tissue to eliminate any pain. While the patient waits for the numbing to take effect, they select music making sure that they are comfortable every step of the way.
InMode System
Using the same access point used for the infusion of tumescent fluid under the skin, Dr. Bloom is able to heat up the underlying tissue with the InMode system. In the neck we typically use AccuTite or FaceTite, in larger areas such as lower thighs and abdomen we use our BodyTite handpiece which allows for further reach of the device. The InMode system predictably heats the underlying tissue and we’re able to monitor the internal and external temperatures in order to maximize both results and safety.
This technology works by using Radiofrequency to heat up the underlying tissue to both destroy fat cells and to heat up the connection between the skin and the underlying muscle. This produces a long-term tightening effect after surgery, continuing to improve as far as nine months from the time of your procedure. This allows Dr. Bloom to address areas of minimal to moderate laxity without removing skin without making large incisions. For example, in an area like the neck – a patient who may have been a neck lift candidate – we can now kick the can down the road 5-10 years by having this in-office procedure to create the tightening that would have previously required incisions and a trip to the operating room.
Liposuction
Once the tissue area has been appropriately heated, the next step is removing the underlying fat with liposuction. Using a combination of cannulas, the fat is aspirated until we have uniformity in the skin and soft tissue creating smooth curves without any lumps or bumps. Once completed the areas used for access are closed with absorbable or removable sutures. The incisions are so small that one or two sutures in each area will close the incisions. This makes the recovery process significantly easier and minimizes the risk of scarring.
Recovery
Once the procedure is completed we place patients into compressive garments which are worn for variable amounts of time. Typically patients will wear these garments for approximately one month, starting at 24 hours a day for the first week. Patients are seen one week after surgery for wound check and to remove any external sutures that may have been placed. Patients gradually reduce their need to wear compression by undergoing manual lymphatic drainage (MLD). MLD can begin 7-10 days after surgery and continues for as long as a patient is achieving results. From there, we follow up at one month, six months, and a year to monitor the results and healing process.
Dr. Bloom is here to help
Dr. Bloom is a warm and caring surgeon whom you can trust to make your health, your comfort, and your beauty his number one priority!
Lead plastic surgeon at Bloom Plastic Surgery in Chicago, IL, Dr. Jacob Bloom is Board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. His extensive knowledge of today’s advanced surgical techniques, coupled with his years of medical training in New York and Harvard University, allow him to create customized treatment plans that can match the unique goals of each and every patient, while delivering long-lasting results that will subtly—yet still dramatically—enhance your natural beauty.
To learn more about how to enhance your figure with in-office liposuction, we encourage you to contact our office to schedule your consultation today. We look forward to hearing from you!