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Prices for Tumescent Liposuction UK
What is Tumescent liposuction?
Tumescent liposuction is one of the most common cosmetic procedures in the world and the most common cosmetic procedure in the United States. It first started to be used commercially in the mid 1980s. It is so popular because not only is it very safe it's also very accurate. There are two principal advantages of tumescent liposuction, one is that it is only minimally invasive, requiring a few small incisions and the second being that it only requires a local anesthetic, except only in rare cases. These factors reduce recovery time considerably (24-48hrs). Also, the word tumescent literally means swollen and firm. The technique involves the injection of a very dilute form of local anesthesia (lidocaine and epinephrine) into the layer of fat beneath the skin. This causes the fat to become swollen and firm, making it more easily removeable. The drug epinephrine causes acute localised vascoconstriction, virtually eliminating bleeding during the procedure.
History
Modern liposuction as we now know it was originally developed in Italy and France in the late 70s and early 80s before being introduced commercially into the United States in 1982. It wasn't until 1985 and the work of Dr. Jeffrey Klein, a California dermatologist, that tumescent liposuction began to really take off. Before then liposuction was associated with heavy blood loss requiring blood transfusions and prolonged stays in hospital, and always required general anesthesia. The tumescent technique required only local anesthesia and virtually eliminated blood loss. The first publicised description of this new technique was published in 1987, in the American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. Because the tumescent technique is so much safer than previous techniques and because it requires only local as opposed to general anesthesia, it is the most commonly used technique in the world. It is also a lot less painful and requires much less recovery time.
Improved safety and advantages of the technique
The improved safety of tumescent liposuction is such that patients will lose on average approximately only 1 to 2 tablespoons of blood from even large volume liposuction. Before tumescent liposuction, the potential for blood loss was so great that patients were required to donate blood a few weeks before surgery, so that it could be transfused back into the patient during surgery. Blood transfusions are now no longer needed as a result of tumescent liposuction. Post-operative bruising has also been significantly reduced as a result of the tumescent technique. Part of the reason for this is that because there is so little blood loss, there is hardly any blood left under the skin to cause bruising. Also, because the incisions are so small, they do not require stitches and so can remain open allowing the blood-tinged local-anesthetic solution to drain out of the wounds, therefore further reducing post-operative swelling and bruising. Patients who undergo tumescent surgery can usually leave the hospital or clinic the next day, and walk unassisted, with minimal pain or discomfort. In comparison people who undergo normal liposuction will be very sore and can be incapacitated for days or even weeks after surgery.
Costs of the procedure
There are a number of factors that can influence the cost of tumescent liposuction. Perhaps the most significant of these is the area of the body being operated on. According to figues provided by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) the average cost of tumescent liposuction is around £1800 to £2000. This can raise obviously according to the areas beig worked on and the number of procedures being performed. Work on the arms and buttocks tends to be cheapest, whilst liposuction to the breast area is usually the most expensive. Due to the adaptability and minimal invasiveness of tumescent liposuction, costs can be reduced because multiple procedures can be carried out on the patient in one session. Instead of having to be booked in for each procedure separately, and the extra clinic costs that that would incur, it can all be done in one day, saving time and money. Published medical reports and patient testimony all point to the fact that the aesthetic results and safety of the tumescent technique are far superior to that of normal liposuction.