General anesthesia has proven to be an integral aspect of contemporary medicine, although it is by no means a panacea. For extensive procedures, “going under” entirely can ensure your comfort and the surgeon’s efficiency.
On the other hand, it isn’t always required. Surgery is needed that can be performed while the patient is awake fall within the category of plastic surgery. You might need a local anesthetic or mild sedation in these scenarios.
Awake Plastic Surgery: Is It Safe and Worth the Risk?
Respected experts in plastic surgery are warning patients about the risks associated with a new approach in cosmetic procedures being advertised as “Awake cosmetic surgery.“
The outcomes of awake surgeries are no longer making headlines for their aesthetic value but instead for the dangers they pose and the lack of professionalism with which they are performed. While awake, those who have undergone invasive cosmetic surgeries speak out against the surgeons who inflicted them with unnecessary agony and subpar outcomes.
Reading the experiences of these people should serve as a reminder to do some research on your prospective plastic surgeon and ensure that they are properly trained and certified to carry out the treatment you are interested in having done.
Unsupervised drug administration to an awake patient is equivalent to having an anesthesiologist provide a cocktail of unknown ingredients. Besides the lower price, the key selling feature of Awake treatments is that the patient is awake for at least part of the operation and can judge the outcome for themselves. However, the precise level of intoxication in these individuals cannot be determined because of the drugs they are taking.
Despite their terrible reputation, local anesthetics have their uses. Many procedures can be completed while the patient is under local anesthetic. However, it is crucial not to exceed the recommended dosage.
Nonetheless, ensuring the health and happiness of the patient comes first. To use general anesthesia or sedation in a controlled setting, one must have access to the necessary equipment.
The most unsettling aspect of Awake operations is that merely two days of education are required to conduct them. At the same time, a board-certified surgeon has completed an intensive residency program and several years of study.
Benefits of Awake Cosmetic Surgery
The safety and comfort of awake treatments are both significantly higher. You might only need a local anesthetic, some IV sedations, or neither if you’re anxious about the procedure. There are many substantial advantages to staying awake while making decisions.
Recovery
Your body will be under less strain, allowing you to heal more rapidly after surgery. If you opt for an awake surgery, you will save yourself a few days of downtime.
Safety
It’s safer to have surgery while awake than under general anesthesia. Due to the reduced number of medications used, adverse effects are far less likely to occur. Particularly, the strain on the lungs and heart is greatly reduced.
Affordability
There is a more involved and expensive procedure involved in administering general anesthesia. This difficulty is lessened with awake treatments. Costs are reduced without any compromise in quality thanks to this.
Risks of the Awake Plastic Surgery
In most cases, patients who choose “awake” operations out of laziness or to save money will not improve their outcomes. Inexperienced surgeons put patients at risk for various negative outcomes, including but not limited to extreme discomfort during the procedure, psychological distress, and subpar outcomes.
Awake liposuction could be done safely in certain cases, but it is not for everyone. For patients in good health who need a small amount of liposuction, awake liposuction performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon may be a good alternative.
However, only a minority of patients will benefit from awake treatments. You probably aren’t the greatest choice for a sharp operation if you want more than one location treated, are overweight, have a fear of needles, or have a previous history of insensitivity to the local anesthetic or chronic pain.
Environment-related Risks
Patients can save money by having awake liposuction done in a doctor’s office, where many such procedures are now routinely done. However, potential patients must be aware of the dangers of having surgery outside of a hospital. Office-based surgeons likely lack the necessary accreditation and surveillance equipment.
The possibility of complications during surgery is always present, even in the healthiest of individuals. Being in a certified operating room or hospital setting with proximity to the correct equipment might save your life if you encounter an adverse response to the anesthetic or other components of surgery.
Anesthesia is Inherently Risky
There are numerous types of contemporary anesthetics. Regarding patient safety, it’s best to use either twilight sleep, anesthesia, or local anesthetic (sometimes called “awake” anesthesia). Every one of these choices is usually risk-free for healthy patients, but there are caveats.
Anesthesia is only risk-free if someone with the right training gives it. In most cases, it takes a coordinated effort between the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the surgical assistant, and the nurse to give each patient the right amount of anesthetic for their specific procedure.
Anesthesia must be administered in a clean, well-equipped, and independently-inspected location (such as a hospital room or an ambulatory surgery center) to ensure patient safety.
Extreme Discomfort
Awake cosmetic surgery might be unsettling for some individuals. They can be uncomfortable for certain people. Patient injury isn’t the only thing that could happen if this happens during a procedure. Another reason to incorporate a skilled anesthesiologist in the treatment program for significant operations is that people have different degrees of sensitivity to anesthesia.
Toxicity Risk
During one of those awake procedures, doctors give patients more local anesthetic than is safe. Certain patients may be severely harmed or even die if anesthesia is delivered beyond recommendations due to its toxic effects on those individuals.
The best results for patients are not typically seen from “cheap” plastic surgery. Awake liposuction and other operations may produce even less than desirable results. The operation could cause severe discomfort, unwanted side effects, or even death. Until a properly educated and accredited surgeon has informed you otherwise, you should not presume that you are a strong choice for local anesthetic plastic surgery.
Weighing the Benefits and Risks of Awake Cosmetic Procedures
Owing to the great risks associated with awake procedures, Boutinic Aesthetics does not perform these procedures. Rather, they opt for alternatives that seek to promote healthy outcomes in the long term for their customers, with flexible payment plans. Their team of surgeons has over 20 years of experience and commits to serving their customers’ bodies, faces, and breasts through procedures like tummy tucks, mommy makeovers, and abdominal etchings.
