Liposuction was initially developed in the late 70’s in Italy and France. At that time, liposuction was performed under general anaesthesia without any introduction of fluid, hence, called “dry liposuction”. Later, a “wet technique” was developed that involved introduction of a small amount of fluid into the fat. Both of these methods were associated with much blood loss, and patients frequently required blood transfusions.
In 1985, Dr. Jeffrey A. Klein, a dermatologist in California, revolutionised liposuction surgery with the introduction of “Tumescent Technique”, which permits liposuction totally by local anaesthesia and with minimal surgical blood loss. Further modifications such as power liposuction and ultrasonic liposuction have been introduced with variable results. Despite these advances, the tumescent technique remains the worldwide standard of care for liposuction.