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The fear of pain is one of the most common worries patients have when undergoing a plastic surgery procedure.
They worry about how much their body will hurt during their procedure and the recovery period. And this is a perfectly reasonable fear.
No one enjoys the prospect of the pain that inevitably follows a surgical procedure. Luckily, we don’t live in the Dark Ages, and we have anesthesia to keep patients from feeling any pain during surgery. And this is really important, considering how popular plastic surgery procedures are nowadays — over 2,000,000 cosmetic surgical procedures were performed in 2020 alone.
But anesthesia isn’t just helpful in making sure patients don’t feel any pain or discomfort. It also ensures that each surgical procedure is performed safely and successfully, and it helps with patients’ recovery.
Because of the importance of anesthesia in plastic surgery, it is vital to make sure that you choose a plastic surgery facility with a skilled and certified anesthesia provider.
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What Are the General Types of Anesthesia Offered?
There are three primary types of anesthesia usually offered for plastic surgery, and these are:
- Local anesthesia: the surgical area is numbed, and you will not feel any pain during the surgery; however, you will still be awake and feel pressure as the procedure is performed
- Twilight anesthesia: also known as IV-sedation, you will not be put to sleep, but you will be groggy and not fully conscious; this will help reduce anxiety and provide you temporary memory loss of the procedure while keeping you from feeling pain
- General anesthesia: you will be completely unconscious during the procedure and will have no memory of the surgery, nor will you feel any pain or discomfort
For most procedures, the type of anesthesia used is not interchangeable, meaning that for some surgeries, you will need to have the prescribed type of anesthesia.
An example would be Mommy Makeover surgery, which would require general anesthesia. Some procedures, however, do allow for a choice to be made by the plastic surgeon, such as tummy tuck surgery, which can be done under general anesthesia (for a traditional tummy tuck) or twilight sedation (if only a mini tummy tuck is being performed).
What Does the Anesthesia Provider Do?
Your anesthesia provider is responsible for several things before, during, and after surgery.
- First off, your provider will administer the required form and proper amount of anesthesia.
- During the actual procedure, the anesthesia provider will be present to closely monitor your progress and health, ensuring that you have enough anesthesia so that you don’t feel any pain or wake up (if you have twilight or general anesthesia) as well as ensuring that you are not given too much anesthesia, which can result in serious health risks.
- After your plastic surgery procedure, your anesthesia provider will help monitor your surgical recovery to make sure that you are healthy and safe.
Obviously, the main goal of your anesthesia provider is to keep you safe during your surgery, but your provider will also make sure that you are comfortable. Because of this, you should know that you are in the best of hands during your plastic surgery.
What Are Some Additional Benefits of Properly Administered Anesthesia?
Besides making sure that your plastic surgery is pain-free, proper anesthesia administration helps ensure that your surgery is successful. If you are comfortable, then there is less chance that you will accidentally move while your plastic surgeon is performing the procedure (if local anesthesia is administered).
Additionally, proper anesthesia helps patients during the post-op period feel more comfortable as they regain sensation in the surgical area (or their whole body).
If anesthesia is properly administered, patients will feel less nauseous in the hours after their surgery, and anesthesia can help in the longer term of recovery by allowing patients to often suffice with over-the-counter medication. This way, you can feel better as quickly and safely as possible.
With proper anesthesia from a reputable anesthesia provider, you’ll be showing off your new appearance in no time!
Interested in Learning More?
To learn more about the procedures we offer at PREMIERE Center for Cosmetic Surgery or our anesthesia providers — led by PREMIERE’s founder, Valerie McAllister, CRNA — please give us a call at (813) 400-1465 or fill out our online contact form here.