Director of Cosmetic Surgery,

University of Illinois Chicago

Department  of Dermatology

Oakbrook Center Mall

Oak Brook, Illinois

(630) 928-0240

Jeffrey  Melton, M.D., S.C.,

link to us

drmelton.com

It is likely the case that the vast majority of tumescent liposuction procedures are performed in the physicians office.  It is certainly possible to perform liposuction in a hospital, though not necessary.  Hospital admission before or after  is likewise not necessary. 

There are actually statistics which indicate that liposuction performed in the hospital is less safe than liposuction performed in a doctors office. There may be many reasons for this.  Larger procedures and multiple procedures might more likely be performed in the hospital setting.  In a hospital setting the use of general anesthesia is more likely.  There is adequate data and experience to suggest that in the proper setting, performing tumescent liposuction in the office setting is safe.  We have never had any significant adverse liposuction-related event in our office, and I do not personally know anyone who has.  That is all anecdotal, but the cases represented are a great many in number. 

The ASDS has firm data which is not anecdotal, indicating that there have been no deaths related to tumescent liposuction performed by dermatologists in the office setting.  This is in stark contrast to what news items seem to indicate, so if you are considering liposuction and are concerned about the safety of the procedure, check into it.  You can look at highlights from the ASDS release, and other data, as well as download the data in pdf format from the published study by taking the link above.

Also, there are are many benefits to having your tumescent liposuction performed in the office setting. 

Not the most important, but perhaps the easiest to quantitate, is cost. There is a significant cost difference of course, since hospital O.R.s run several hundred dollars per hour.  Other factors which may make you more comfortable in a doctors office setting:

 In our office, and probably in others where liposuction is routinely performed, it is much less likely that patients with communicable diseases are present or being operated on.

An office tends to be far more private than a larger institution ("Hey, what are you in for?"), as well as more specialized, more likely to have consistency in its staff, and thus better able to cater to your individual needs;  in short, you are more comfortable and you are well taken care of.