Can any plastic surgery be done without general anesthesia? Anesthesia is one of the top concerns that surgery patients have. Thankfully, more and more patients can undergo procedures using local anesthesia. Patients can eat before their procedure and may take medication to decrease anxiety. Patients are often surprised by how easy the process is and feel completely in control. Here are five common plastic surgery procedures that can be performed without general anesthesia.
Upper Eyelid Lift
We call the upper eyelid lift, a blepharoplasty, our Friday special. Think about it: if someone accidently falls and cuts their eyelid, they go to the ER for numbing medication and stitches. A blepharoplasty is just the same process in reverse, in a controlled fashion. First numbing medication is placed into the eyelid. The skin is pinched off and removed like a tailor removes excess fabric. The resulting skin is then stitched up. Patients go home immediately afterwards and can shower the next day. Stitches come out in a couple of days. You can check Dr. Domanski impressive eyelid lift results.
Ear Lobe Repair
Torn or stretched ear lobes are a common problem. We now have patients email a picture to the office and if they are appropriate candidates, our office schedules the ear lobe surgery procedure. This is like going to the dentist, but nobody is in your mouth. The ear is numbed, and the torn skin or stretched skin is removed. Patients can re-pierce their ears in 3 months. Look at our ear lobe surgery results!
Ear Lobe Pinning
Otherwise called otoplasty or ear lobe setback, an earlobe pinning is done by removing skin behind the ear and pulling the ear cartilage back. In fact, the advantage of doing this in the office is that the patient can provide feedback on how much the ears are set back. As a result, patients appreciate the control they have from being awake.
Neck Liposuction
Neck liposuction is performed using a thin suction tube to remove fat between the skin and deeper compartments. First numbing medication is introduced into the soft tissue under the skin to loosen the fat. This is called tumescent technique. Then a cannula, or blunt hollow tube is used to remove fat using negative suction. Patients report minimal pain and return to activities as soon as the next day.
Mini Face Lift
The first facelift was performed in Berlin around 1908 when a lady had a piece of skin cancer in front of her ear removed. Consequently, this resulted in her skin being pulled back. She returned to the doctor remarking how much she loved the aesthetic result and asked for the same thing to be done on the other side!
A mini facelift can be performed using the same medication that used to numb the skin to close a laceration. Skin is excised in front of the ear and the facial skin is pulled back, lifting the cheeks and neck. Patients appreciate the natural results and quick recovery of a mini in-office facelift.
Read more regarding local anesthesia for facial cosmetic procedures. You can read Dr. Domanski article regarding plastic surgery without general anesthesia in Your Heath Magazine.
