Awake Liposuction Charlotte

“Awake Liposuction” is a safe, but minimally invasive approach to permanently getting rid of
stubborn fat without having to go to sleep (general anesthesia). Arms, male chest, tummy,
love handles, inner thighs, muffin top, neck are really good areas to treat with awake liposuction.

Awake Liposuction is not a gimmick or promotion. Dr. Ditesheim has been using the technique of Awake Liposuction with Aquashape for 12 years in over 500 patients. Awake liposuction is not Sedation Liposuction: Different from IV sedation, oral drugs or laughing gas, there are no drugs. And because no drugs are given you can drive yourself to the procedure and back home.

These particular fat areas: arms, male chest, tummy, love handles, inner thighs, muffin top and neck have a concentrated pocket of fat cells that are able to be made numb very quickly, similar to the dentist. Using Aquashape, a water-jet assisted liposuction technique, a pulsed water jet literally sprays local anesthesia into the fatty tissue area throughout the procedure. Traditional liposuction also called tumescent liposuction infuses a large volume of fluid before the procedure. Aquashape injects about 10-15% of the usual volume first and then continuously infuses the area while the fat is being removed. Literally, the fat is “washed out of the body and the numbing medicine is flowing the entire time. This assures that the nerves are “kept asleep” so you don’t feel pain. Continuous tumescent infusion also assures that there is minimal if any blood loss.

To be a good candidate for Awake liposuction, you need to be comfortable having a surgical procedure awake. You will also want to treat one area ( bilaterally). This will remove between two to five pounds of fat.

Anyone too anxious to be awake for a surgical procedure. Anyone with health risks, unstable medical problems or taking anticoagulation drugs. Any patient who wants to treat multiple areas at one time. Patients with “tough fat”, previously treated with liposuction or scarring or who require a larger volume of fat removed are best to have general anesthesia.

Lipo 360 or circumferential liposuction is a liposuction procedure that treats multiple areas of the body at one time. For example, the tummy, flanks, back, bra, hips and buttocks may all be treated at one surgical session. Total fat removed may be up to 10 lbs. Awake Liposuction treats only one area at a time, with limited fat removal.

No. Cool Sculpting is a technique that freezes fat cells with a “cold clamp”. It is not designed to shape or sculpt the body area, only kill a percentage of fat cells. Multiple clamps and multiple sessions are usually required. Freezing an area with clamps applied to a roll of fat will cause up to 25% of the fat cells in the coldest part of the clamp to die over the next 3-6 months. So freezing fat, popularized by the minimal recovery, gives unpredictable results and can be expensive when all the clamps and sessions are added up. Plus the fat may come back ( something called paroxysmal adipose hyperplasia). Awake liposuction specifically treats an area to achieve better shape and definition. The fat is removed from the body permanently. It is a plastic surgical procedure. Results are predictable, only one session is needed and results are usually immediate. Yes there is recovery, but depending on the area 1-7 days recovery is the norm.

No. Tumescent Liposuction or “wet liposuction” is the infiltration of local anesthetic into an area of fat cells to distend the tissues, prior to fat extraction with the liposuction cannula. This is the technique used by all liposuction surgeons. Awake Liposuction using Aquashape is different. There is no distention of the tissues with high volume fluid infiltration. There is no waiting time for local anesthesia to take effect. Aquashape technology continuously infuses local anesthesia during the entire procedure. This difference between Tumescent liposuction and Aquashape, is what is important in Awake Liposuction.

• AquaShapeTM is gentle on the body, there is less bleeding or bruising, no trauma to nerves.
• Shorter recovery time compared to traditional liposuction.
• Patients can return to work the next day or within three days.
• No sequellae from general anesthesia ( nausea, vomiting)
• Immediate results with less swelling and bruising.

Awake liposuction can be used to treat concentrated pockets of fat that are able to “numb”
Easily.

Typical areas treated with awake liposuction include:

● lower abdomen ( stomach)
● Waist and Muffin Top
● Arms
● Neck
● Inner Thighs, Knees
● Male Chest

It’s important to remember liposuction (awake or not) is not intended as a weight loss solution. Dr. Ditesheim uses tumescent techniques to remove stubborn pockets of fat with minimal invasiveness.

Our one-day Charlotte liposuction procedure removes troublesome fat with less discomfort and downtime. Awake Liposuction is not for everyone. It is not a gimmic or marketing ploy. It is an adaptation of the tried and true liposuction techniques Dr. Ditesheim has perfected in over 5000 patient procedures over 28 years. Awake liposuction offers the right person, the opportunity to have a minimally invasive body shaping procedure without the requirement of general anesthesia.

Do you want to recycle your fat? It may be possible to reuse the fat removed for augmentation of the face, breast or buttocks. Usually for breast and buttocks (BBL) a greater amount of fat is needed.

Does awake liposuction hurt?

You may feel some discomfort at the start of the local anesthesia infusion. Most patients are
able to relax or fall asleep while the procedure is being done.

How does AquaShapeTM work?

Aquashape is a water-jet assisted liposuction technique Dr. Ditesheim has used since 2006 in over 1000 patient procedures. The pulsing water-jet serves to numb the area continuously throughout the procedure as fat is being extracted from the body. The jet solution contains lidocaine ( local anesthesia), epinephrine ( adrenalin for shrinking blood vessels) and salt water.

Am I a good candidate for awake liposuction?

If you’re in good overall health and have localized areas of excess fat that are resistant to diet and exercise, you may be a good candidate.

How does non-surgical fat loss compare to liposuction?

Non-surgical approaches, like mesotherapy chemical injections (Kybella) or fat-freezing (Cool Sculpting) only target very small amounts of fat and require multiple sessions. The goal is only a small reduction in number of fat cells. ( see above question: Is Awake Liposuction the same as Cool Sculpting?)

Will I be in pain after having awake liposuction?

After awake liposuction, there can be some discomfort when the local anesthesia wears off, usually 8 hours after the procedure. Pain is usually easily managed with non-narcotic medication.

Are you considering liposuction to eliminate pesky, unwanted fat and help achieve your body
goals? Visit us today at Ditesheim Cosmetic Surgery to learn more about AquaShapeTM or other specialized liposuction techniques in Charlotte.