Your Risk of Reacting to Intravenous Twilight or General Anesthesia
In the early days of surgery, the types of general anesthesia used for patients came with a higher rate of complications during and after the procedure. Because of this, many prospective patients are wary of agreeing to any surgery that requires general anesthesia. At the Aesthetic Surgery Center, our double board certified facial plastic surgeons perform rhinoplasty with intravenous twilight anesthesia. You will not remember or feel anything, but there will not be a breathing tube placed through your vocal cords. While our surgeons almost always perform rhinoplasty with deep intravenous sedation, rhinoplasty may sometimes require general anesthesia so you should discuss any of your concerns with your surgeon. You’ll need to work together to assess your personal risk for complications, which includes talking about your medical history, any medications you are taking, vitamins and supplements you use, your past history of surgery, and your family history. Your use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can also impact your ability to handle anesthesia, so you need to be open and honest about these risk factors during your consultation.
Your defense against complications from anesthesia begins with this dialogue between your surgeon and you. Be sure to mention any previous experiences with anesthetics and any negative reactions you experienced. Based on the information you provide, your facial plastic surgeon will be able to design a plan that is safe for you.
Your Risk of Post-Surgical Infection
There is no such thing as a surgery that doesn’t carry at least the slight possibility of infection. The very nature of surgery makes infection possible, since it occurs when bacteria are transferred from outside the skin into the body through an incision. Rhinoplasty involves the placement of incisions inside the nostrils and/or beneath the nose on the underside of the skin between the nostrils. As a surgical patient, even one of rhinoplasty, you unfortunately won’t have much control over your risk of infection once surgery begins and you are sedated.
Your best chance at ensuring an infection-free rhinoplasty is to choose a surgeon who you can trust to get the job done. Credentialed facial plastic surgeons are trained and experienced in the best practices to reduce the risk of infection during the rhinoplasty procedure. If you’d like to learn about your surgeon’s measures against infection, discuss your concerns during your rhinoplasty consultation. Typically, infection prevention includes these steps:
- A dose of antibiotics administered to the patient before surgery
- Thorough cleaning of the surgical area with an antibacterial agent
- Sterilization of all surgical instruments
- All surgical personnel should wear surgical clothing and gloves inside the operating room
These steps work together to keep the surgical risk of infection to a minimum, for rhinoplasty and any other form of surgery. By treating the patient to fight bacteria, eliminating the present of bacteria, and sterilizing the tools used in surgery, the overall presence of bacteria during surgery is reduced or even eliminated.
After your surgery, the rest of your infection prevention will be up to you. Make sure to follow your surgeon’s instructions to care for the nasal area and avoid touching the area as it heals. Talk to your surgeon about the best strategies to heal smoothly without risking the cleanliness of your rhinoplasty incisions.
Your Risk of Experiencing a Change in Your Breathing
If you’re having rhinoplasty surgery to correct a problem with your airways, then a change in your breathing is considered a successful result. A deviated septum, blocked or constricted nasal passages, and other breathing issues can be resolved with a fine-tuned surgical approach. Because breathing well is an essential part of staying healthy, a rhinoplasty that improves function is a positive experience for the right patients.
For patients seeking a cosmetic rhinoplasty, however, a change made to breathing isn’t always positive. Rhinoplasty surgery is designed to change the size and shape of the nose while preserving or improving nasal function. If you experience any trouble breathing after your procedure, you should discuss this complication with your facial plastic surgeon. A revision rhinoplasty may be required to make corrections to your breathing problems.
There are many reasons that a rhinoplasty can create unintentional changes in breathing. As one of the most complicated forms of cosmetic surgery, rhinoplasty involves the manipulation of many small parts of the inner nasal structure. Sometimes, during the healing process, nasal obstruction can develop. To minimize your risk for this complication, your best strategy is to work with a facial plastic surgeon who is highly skilled and trained, with a high satisfaction rate among rhinoplasty patients.
Your Risk of Disappointing Results
No rhinoplasty procedure ever takes place without a lengthy amount of planning, especially through the consultation process. As you plan, your facial plastic surgeon will ask about the specific concerns you have about your nose, what you’d like to change, and how. He will also suggest his own recommendations, based on your facial proportions, the shape and size of your nose, and the overall look you are trying to achieve. Most rhinoplasty patients have a great idea of their desired results but have trouble communicating the specifics to their surgeon. If a miscommunication happens, your satisfaction with your rhinoplasty results might be at risk.
The goal for everyone is to get your rhinoplasty results right the first time and avoid revision surgery to correct them. However, even in the best of hands, revision rhinoplasty does sometimes need to be performed. Be sure to communicate as clearly and as thoroughly as possible with your facial plastic surgeon. Allow your surgeon to give you his expert opinion and find a way to merge your ideas with his recommendations for the right result. You may be able to use visuals to communicate these ideas to one another, such as photos of people with similar nasal shapes to what you are hoping to achieve.
Safer Rhinoplasty Begins With the Right Facial Plastic Surgeon
To plan the safest rhinoplasty procedure possible, contact the Aesthetic Surgery Center to book an appointment with Dr. Anurag Agarwal or Dr. Richard Maloney, our double board certified facial plastic surgeons. They have been featured on many of the major news networks, including ABC, NBC, and FOX, as recognized experts on a variety of facial plastic surgery topics. Dr. Agarwal and Dr. Maloney believe that educating and communicating with their patients are the keys to helping them achieve successful, natural-looking results. Book your appointment at the Aesthetic Surgery Center, located at 11181 Health Park Boulevard #1115 in Naples, FL, by calling (239) 594-9100.
