Breast Augmentation While Awake – It’s a Reality

It is now possible for patients to undergo plastic surgery procedures while remaining more awake than ever. One surgeon, Fazel Fatah, uses a combination of local anesthetic and sedation to allow patients to remain awake during the procedure. During the procedure, the patient is awake, but does not feel pain and is a bit woozy. Still, they are able to hold a conversation and they can go home within an hour or so of having the procedure. That could be why this Westbourne Clinic in Birmingham is said to offer the “lunchtime boob job.”

The alternative is not acceptable, some say. Traditional, general anesthetics involve the use of a combination of drugs that put people into an unconscious state, but there are risks. These drugs do work to stop the nerve signals going to the brain that tell the brain that there is pain. However, they can have risks such as bruising, cuts to the mouth and even tooth damage in some cases. In addition, the side effects can be severe, including nausea and vomiting in the case of about 30 percent of patients.

What This Means to the Future of Surgery

Fatah says he has performed numerous types of plastic surgery using this method, including abdominoplasty (tummy tucks), fat grafting, liposuction and even face lifts using the procedure. According to Fatah, he is one of the few doctors that is using this new procedure because, he says, there is a lack of training and because of tradition. However, the procedure can reduce the recovery time of patients, improve overall results and even reduce risks considerably.