The tumescent technique involves the injection of a relatively large amount of fluid into the fatty tissue. This injection causes the tissue under your skin to swell and become firm, hence its name of 'tumescent.' The fluid is made-up mostly of a salt solution (saline), which is compatible with the salt in your body and a small amount of epinephrine (also called adrenalin) and lidocaine (a local anesthetic similar to Novocain). The epinephrine is a substance that constricts, or clamps down, the blood vessels resulting in less blood loss for you. The lidocaine is a substance that acts as a local anesthetic in the solution, which lessens the pain for you. Both epinephrine and lidocaine are in very low doses. There is just enough medicine to make you comfortable and minimize bleeding, but not too much to be harmful when administered appropriately.

A significant amount of this tumescent fluid is removed with the fat during the liposuction procedure. But some of it stays in fatty tissue and is naturally absorbed and eliminated by your body gradually over the first weeks of your recovery. The nice thing about the fluid staying in your body is that the lidocaine will continue to work and keep your pain at a low level for the first 10 hours post-operatively.

The transient unpleasant thing about the fluid staying in your body is that it makes you more bloated. You may seem larger or weigh more in the first days following your surgery. When this occurs, do not be alarmed; it is normal. You may also have some leaking of the salt water through the incision for a while, but this too is normal.

The tumescent technique was developed after initial trial and error after liposuction was first developed. Early liposuction surgeries with the conventional method were bloodier, more painful, and less fat was removed.

The tumescent technique has many benefits for the patient, including:

Decreased blood loss: Today it is very rare to require a transfusion following liposuction, even when very large amounts are removed. It is unlikely that you will be asked to donate blood for yourself. Less pain: The lidocaine, acting as a local anesthetic, lessens the pain where your surgeon is working. This is good for several reasons, the most important being that you will be more comfortable during your procedure. Additionally you may not need to have a general anesthetic during your operation. This is a nice option because some people tend to react to the drugs used "to go to sleep" and became very drowsy or feel sick with nausea and vomiting. Less tissue trauma: Less trauma to your body, along with less blood loss, means less bruising for you and a faster recovery. Less surface irregularity: Since the fatty tissue is plumped up, your surgeon can more precisely remove the fat under your skin. Better access to narrow fat compartments in the body: Necks, knees, calves and ankles have narrow fat compartments. There is not a huge amount of fat in these compartments in anybody but the precise removal of a relatively small amount of fat can make a world of difference. Decreased or elimination of the need for additional intravenous fluids during your procedure: You may not need a needle inserted into your veins to be hydrated during your surgery since some extra tumescent fluid stays in your body and will be absorbed. If too much fluid is put both into the fatty tissues and into your veins this can be very dangerous. You may only need the fluid injected into your fat. More fat can be removed at one time: This may be the most interesting for overweight patients. Small amounts of fat were removed in the early days of liposuction because of too much bleeding and/or the patients were getting dehydrated. (The trauma of the liposuction causes the body to bring fluids from the blood into the area, thereby depriving the rest of the body. This can be dangerous.)

Remember, the tumescent fluid decreases the blood loss, keeps you hydrated, and allows your surgeon to remove the fat more precisely from narrower fat compartments.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "This sounds great, why doesn't everybody use it?" Well, too much of a good thing is usually bad. This is true for the tumescent technique as well. If too much fluid is given, a person can become waterlogged and have difficulty breathing. Also, too much of fluid can introduce too much lidocaine which can cause dysfunction of the heart rhythm. These are some of the reasons for the rare deaths mentioned earlier.

Overall, this technique is safe when administered by a trained, experienced professional who will be diligent, act on your behalf and not allow too much fluid to be given to you.