Anesthesia is required in order to perform any kind of cosmetic surgery. Some surgeries only require local anesthesia, but often general anesthesia is necessary.
Prior to your cosmetic surgery the anaesthetist will explain you what type of surgery is recommended fort he desired intervention. General anesthesia is required for surgeries such as breast augmentation, breast uplift, nose correction and tummy tuck. Liposculpture and face lifts can be performed under both local or general anesthesia. An eyelid surgery, ear correction and labia plasty are mostly done under local anesthesia.
What is anesthesia?
For general anesthesia the anaesthetist will put you on a drip with an intravenous anaesthetic, after which you will fall asleep. Anesthesia is a state of temporary induced loss of sensation or awareness. It may include analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), or unconsciousness. The central nervous system is temporarily blocked.
Anesthesia involves much more than just pain control and artificial sleep: the anaesthetist will protect and stabilize vital features of the body. During anesthesia the anaesthetist will take over some body functions by means of several equipments. By means of a clip on the finger the oxygen level in your blood is measured. Electrodes on the chest will control your heart function, blood pressure is checked by a blood pressure band. Depending on the the kind of anesthesia the patient will breath by himself or not. When the patient doesn’t breath by himself the anaesthesist will take over this function by means of an artificial ventilator.
The function of the anaesthetist
An anaesthetist is a specialized doctor who combines several knowledges and skills to anesthetize a patient in a save way during a surgical intervention.
His knowledges:
- Physiological and pathological (the working of a healthy or sic body)
- Anatomical (the constitution of the body)
- Pharmacological (the way medication interacts and dissapears from the body)
The anaesthetist needs to know perfectly the different steps of the surgical intervention, in order to judge on the pain associated with those steps. So he will be able to prepare better for a painful or destabilizing action to be performed, by changing the intensity of the anaesthetic. By this means circulatory and respiratory complications can be avoided by:
- accommodating stress reactions, linked to the secretion of stress hormones during the surgical intervention
- preventing from possible allergic reactions and treating them if they occur
- contributing to the postionning of the patient on the operating table
- regulating the body temperature of the patient
- monitoring the renal function and to start adapted measures to regulate this function
- monitoring the loss of blood and mesuring the coagulation of the patient
- preventing form infections by a perfect hygiene and possibly prophylactic antibiotics
- etc.
The responsability of the anaesthetist doesn’t end when the patient is awake. He will also check the patient after his surgery with regards to the breathing appearance, the blood pressure, heart beats, and the renal function. He will also take care of the pain relief after people’s surgery.
Prior to the surgery the anaesthetist will discuss with his patient his medical situation in order to prevent from possible problems during anesthesia.
Why should I be sober?
During a general anesthesia the lick and cough reflexes disappear and the spinal cord between the esophagus and the stomach will relax. Therefor the food can easily come up (certainly when laying down) and get into the lungs. Food which gets into the lungs can be life threatening.