The aim of every anesthetic is to eliminate pain under the safest possible conditions. In contrast to other smaller local procedures with local anesthesia (topical anesthesia), a larger area is made less sensitive to pain. Liposuction under surface anesthesia, also known as tumescent anesthesia, or twilight sleep is safer than under general anesthesia
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. General anesthesia is accompanied by the administration of large amounts of sleeping pills and artificial respiration. Patients who have undergone liposuction without general anesthesia recover more quickly and very rarely suffer from nausea. A sore throat as a result of artificial respiration is ruled out with the tumescent technique.