Dr. Phelan Explains Your Anesthesia Options for Plastic Surgery

Posted on December 17, 2024 | by
Female anesthesiologist administering an IV drip

Your safety and comfort are of the utmost importance at Boston Plastic Surgery. Our surgeons carefully select the best anesthesia option based on your procedure to optimize your experience and facilitate an easy recovery. Here, Boston plastic surgeon Dr. Alannah Phelan explains the different types of anesthesia options available, how they work, and common treatments for each option. 

Local anesthesia

We use local anesthesia to prevent pain during minor surgical procedures. Numbing medicine is carefully injected into precise locations to effectively block nerve signals in the targeted region while still allowing you to remain awake but feel no pain. Local anesthesia is ideal for procedures that are less invasive and require minimal downtime.

Procedures that commonly use local anesthesia include:

Additionally, we also use a topical anesthetic cream to enhance patient comfort during a few of our more transformative skin treatments at the Skin Wellness Center such as RF microneedling, laser skin resurfacing, and sometimes before injectable treatments like Botox® or fillers for patients who are prone to sensitivity during injections. 

The right type of anesthesia allows you to experience optimal results without the fear of discomfort.

IV during a surgical procedure

IV Sedation 

IV sedation, also known as intravenous sedation or conscious sedation, puts you into a state of deep relaxation and helps inhibit pain during more involved procedures. We place an IV to deliver sedative medications and fluids directly into your bloodstream and also treat the area with local anesthesia to block all pain pathways. Patients are conscious and can sometimes even communicate while sedated, but most won’t remember much, if anything, about the procedure. IV sedation alleviates stress and anxiety for patients and allows our surgeons to perform your procedure with greater ease and precision to achieve the best results possible.

Procedures that commonly use IV sedation include:

General anesthesia 

General anesthesia puts you into a deep sleep so you are completely unaware and free from pain during extensive surgical procedures. This type of anesthesia is only provided by an anesthesiologist—a medical doctor who specializes in administering and caring for patients under general anesthesia. During general anesthesia, your muscles are completely relaxed and immobile, allowing Dr. Samaha or Dr. Phelan to perform complex operations without interruption for your well-being and the success of the procedure. Similarly to IV sedation, medications and fluids are delivered through an IV line and the treatment areas are numbed with a local anesthetic for maximum pain prevention. 

Procedures that commonly use general anesthesia include:

“I cannot say enough on how amazing Dr. Samaha + his staff are. I had a breast augmentation done 6 days ago. The pre op care leading up to my appointment was very informative + supportive. The day of my appointment they made it very relaxing and comforting. The anesthesiologist was also great. So far my results are amazing. If you follow their post op care you will heal perfectly! Thanks again staff+ doctors you guys did great.”

——5-star Google review

At our Boston plastic surgery center, all anesthesiologists are board-certified. Board certification is crucial as it guarantees that our anesthesiologists have undergone rigorous training and adhere to the highest safety protocols, giving you peace of mind during your procedure.

You’re in the best of hands at Boston Plastic Surgery

Our Boston plastic surgeons Dr. Fouad Samaha and Dr. Alannah Phelan will discuss your anesthesia preferences and determine the best approach for a safe and comfortable experience no matter your procedure. Please call our surgical office at 617-786-7600 to take the first step toward achieving your aesthetic goals with ease and confidence.

Leave a Reply