Beware of Awake Plastic Surgery

November 23rd, 2011 Posted in Cosmetic Surgery
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There is a disturbing new trend in cosmetic surgery called “awake surgery” that promoters claim can avoid the risks of general anesthesia and reduce the cost of the procedure.  In awake surgery, instead of general anesthesia, patients are given an oral sedative and a local anesthetic such as lidocaine.  Procedures such as breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks are being performed on patients with only this local anesthetic.

Proponents of awake surgery point to numerous benefits of awake surgery.  Since the patient is not under general anesthesia, the procedure can take place in a common exam room instead of a hospital or certified surgical suite.  Also, the length of the procedure will not be limited to six hours which is the generally accepted safe limit of plastic surgery under general anesthesia.  Practitioners also emphasize that the patient is conscious and alert and can interact with the doctor during the procedure.  They claim that it is important to have the patient’s input on certain specifics such as the size of a breast implant.

However, the reality is that the vast majority of doctors who perform awake cosmetic surgery are not board certified plastic surgeons.  Instead, they are family practitioners, radiologists, and others who have taken a two or three day course in a certain procedure.  They lack the years of broad based training and experience in cosmetic surgery that a board certified plastic surgeon has.

In addition to untrained doctors performing these procedures, awake surgery presents numerous risks.  Lidocaine toxicity is a real concern and the reality is that these procedures should not take six or more hours to be completed by a skilled plastic surgeon so the risk of general anesthesia are greatly overstated.  In addition, pain control is less effective with local anesthesia.

The real reason doctors practice awake surgery is that they can avoid using an anesthesiologist and the oversight that come with it.  By using local anesthesia, a doctor can perform the procedure in the office rather than in a hospital or other accredited operating room and avoid having to comply with the strict safety standards that are required for an accredited surgical suite.

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Avoid Discount Cosmetic Surgery

November 23rd, 2011 Posted in Cosmetic Surgery
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With all types of cosmetic surgery procedures becoming increasingly popular, many patients are tempted to shop for their procedures based on price alone.  Unfortunately, the results can often be disastrous.  A recent USA Today article focused on the risks involved for patients who use high volume “discount” cosmetic surgery clinics.

According to the article, these clinics advertise heavily on television using questionable claims about the low risk, dramatic results, and fast recovery times for their procedures.  They attract patients with discount pricing and then use high pressure sales techniques to sign up new patients. The article noted that some of these centers have much higher than normal surgical death rates and included several examples of patients who experienced severe complications after their procedure.

While plastic surgical procedures have become increasingly common, they are still medical surgical procedures any you should choose your doctor based on more than just low price and advertising.  You should make sure that your plastic surgeon is board certified in plastic surgery who takes their time to meet with you and answer your questions about the procedure.

There are a few warning signs to look out for to avoid these assembly line style cosmetic surgery centers.  Often the procedures are performed in non-accredited facilities that may not have the necessary safety measures and lack top quality equipment and sterilization procedures.  In some cases, the doctors are not board certified plastic surgeons.  Instead, they are doctors who have received some training in cosmetic surgery, but nothing like the training a board certified plastic surgeon undergoes.  The quoted price will be much lower than other quotes the patient is often pressured to have the surgery quickly, often without seeing the plastic surgeon who will be performing the procedure in advance.

The bottom line is don’t compromise your health and safety by choosing a plastic surgeon based on price alone.  You want an experienced, board certified plastic surgeon with a reputation for excellence.

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