Is “Awake Plastic Surgery” Safe?

We are committed to staying up-to-date on the latest developments in plastic surgery and offering educated opinions on news items. Recently, we found a number of articles about a hyped method for cosmetic surgery known as “Awake Plastic Surgery.” We are not fans of “Awake Plastic Surgery.”

The New York Times broke the story back in 2010, and other news outlets have followed up. We recommend that you read this account of the practice on msnbc.com. It’s scathing:

“General anesthesia is expensive, and the specialists who provide it prefer to work in hospitals or clinics that have met high safety standards. Awake surgery has become a way for doctors who lack hospital privileges—but who want to cash in on the plastic surgery market—to exploit a loophole by performing the operations in the privacy of their offices.”
Read the complete msnbc.com article online.

The following blog highlights the lack of qualifications of the awake plastic surgery providers interviewed in the Times’ article and expands on the dangers of Awake Plastic Surgery:

“They are promoting the lack of anesthesia as a benefit to the patient because it allows them to ‘participate’ in the surgery, but they fail to recognize the fact that asking their patients to make decisions after taking oral sedatives is akin to asking someone to drive you home after having a few shots of tequila.”
Read the complete breastblaug.com article online.

The Sullivan Centre does not participate in Awake Plastic Surgery. We put patient safety first, and we always use proper anesthesia for every procedure. In addition, Dr. Christine Sullivan and Dr. Michael Sullivan are fully qualified, board certified Columbus plastic surgeons.