Local vs General Anesthesia

It is widely believed that all cosmetic surgery is performed under general anesthesia. This idea is sometimes scary to a patient and may cause them to second guess a decision to have cosmetic surgery performed.

It is a misconception that all cosmetic surgery must be performed under general anesthesia. As a matter of fact, local and tumescent anesthesia is much safer than general anesthesia. General anesthesia carries the risk, although rare, of fatality. There has never been a recorded case of fatality due to tumescent anesthesia. The epinephrine in the solution causes capillaries to shrink, also significantly reducing the risk of blood loss.

Tumescent anesthesia has been used for many years in Europe. The technique was perfected in the 1980’s and its popularity as a local anesthesia has been on the rise in the United States.

Here’s how it works. The tumescent solution is injected into the areas to be treated.  The area is anesthetized but the patient does not have to “go under.” This allows the patient to be awake and interacting with the doctor during surgery.

One of the wonderful side effects of local tumescent anesthesia is how long it works. Tumescent anesthesia can work for up to 48 hours, acting as a very effective pain reliever after the patient has returned home from surgery.

 Dr. Cappiello has extensive training with this type of local anesthesia. In the hands of an experienced doctor, tumescent anesthesia is the safest possible way to experience cosmetic surgery.

Tumescent anesthesia is used at Rinnova Med-Surgical Center for all cosmetic procedures ranging from liquid face lift and traditional face lifts to liposuction and tummy tucks.

Dr.Cappiello is board certified with decades of experience in numerous cosmetic surgery procedures. His surgery center at Rinnova is a state of the art facility with all the technology of a hospital but with a safe, intimate feel. Rinnova Med-Surgical Center is licensed by the state of Florida.

 If you would like to find out more about the possibility of cosmetic surgery using only local tumescent anesthesia, call Rinnova today for a free consultation.

Dr. Cappiello on Why He Mainly Uses Local Anesthesia: