ANAESTHESIA TECHNIQUES IN COSMETIC SURGERY

THE CONTROL OF PAIN: A VARIETY OF OPTIONS

MAXIMAL COMFORT, MINIMUM RISKS.

Some form or other of pain killing or anaesthesia is a modern requirement for most forms of surgery. There are a large number of agents and methods to achieve the same goal: avoiding discomfort and at the same time ensuring maximal safety. All of these carry there specific pro's and cons. Different surgeons prefer different anesthetic systems. Also, the patients tend to have preferences, oftentimes based on previous experience.  Where anaesthetists are involved, a lot depends on their attitude and experience. 

The patient has also her say in which method will be used. Some have had bad experiences with general anesthetics in the past and are looking for a lighter alternative, whereas others cannot bear the thought of conciousness and want to be "out" for the entire surgical process. 

LOCAL ANAESTHESIA IN PLASTIC SURGERY

LOCAL ANESTHESIA

EMLA topical application:

is a usefull additive for superficial numbing of the skin by applying a cream and leaving this to work for some time. It can take the sting out of a number of mainly facial treatments that require prolonged or multiple injections such as fillers, Botox and mesothrapy.

Local Infiltration:

with fine needles the local anesthetic is injected in the tissue to be operated upon. All pain stimuli are numbed but some touching and pulling sensations may be felt.

Nerve Blocks:

Rather than infiltrating directly into the tissues, a small quantity of local anaethetic is pur around the nerve in order to block its sensation entirely. In this way with one injection a large body part kan be numbed. Examples are axillary block vor the entire arm, digital block for a finger or toe, spinal block for the lower jaw etc....

Tumescent Infiltration:

By dilution with saline and addition of adrenaline for vasoconstriction, may liters of local anaesthetic can be pumped into the fat. This not only freezes it, but also stops the bleeding temporarily. It is a major advance in plastic surgery, pioneered in the eighties in the US, and extended to virtually all plastic surgery by ourselves in 1995 where elaborate tissue dissection in Body and Face are required.

 


 

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