With general anesthesia, a tube is put down your windpipe. In many cases the medical staff breathes for you because the medical team paralyzes you. So the anesthesiologist takes control of your respiratory process.
“What I have found over 32 years of practice is that there are a lot of people who are thinking about having surgery – cosmetic or otherwise – but haven’t pursued it because they have always felt in their mind that they would have to be put under general anesthesia. For a lot of people that’s very frightening,” said Dr. Popp.
He said most people are scared they won’t wake up once they’re put to sleep.
The reality is there are only a couple procedures Dr. Popp does under general anesthesia and that’s because of the length of time of the surgery. These include breast augmentation and facelifts.
“Everything else we do we do under straight local where we numb up the tissue with a lidocaine-like solution. We can give patients the option of a little sedation valium or a twilight sleep to calm them down but they are awake for the procedures,” he explained.
Awake Without Pain
He has also done facelifts and breast augmentation with people completely awake. Dr. Popp said you can numb up almost any part of the body and do the procedures awake.
He knows there are also people who are anxious about having local anesthesia and being awake during the procedure because they are afraid they will feel everything. That doesn’t happen. Dr.Popp promised patients are numbed up and don’t feel anything.
He said he’s been surprised over the years by the number of people who have sat in his chair and told him they wanted to get a certain procedure done but didn’t want to be put to sleep. Then he tells them he doesn’t put people to sleep. “And their eyes light up when I tell them they can have their procedure done while they’re awake. And they usually tell me they’re in,” he said.
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