Anaesthesia for plastic reconstructive & cosmetic surgery.

Customization: The type and depth of anaesthesia are highly customized, often requiring a specialist approach due to a shared access for both anaesthesia and surgery. Minor, less invasive procedures often use local anaesthesia, often expertly administered directly by the surgeon, while complex and lengthy surgeries (e.g., tummy tucks or combination procedures) require general anaesthesia.

Emphasis on Faster Recovery and Fewer Side Effects: There has been a shift towards forms of anaesthesia, including intravenous Anaesthesia, which allow for a speedy recovery, reduced grogginess, and pain; all allowing for quicker discharge and recovery.

Controlled blood pressure and Heart Rate: For procedures involving the head and neck (like facelifts or rhinoplasty),and especially for free skin flap procedures, anaesthetists need to use techniques that accurately control the patient's blood pressure and heart rate. This reduces blood loss, sustains critical blood flow to sensitive tissues, but also reduces bruising, and swelling. All this improves the surgical outcome and recovery time.

Multimodal Analgesia: The use of a combination of pain relief methods, including nerve blocks, local anaesthetic infiltration (such as tumescent technique for liposuction), and systemic non-opioid medications, is common. This approach manages pain effectively while reducing reliance on opiods, which can cause significant nausea and other side effects.

Specific Adjuncts: Medications such as steroids (to reduce swelling) and specific tailored anti-nausea techniques are routinely administered during surgery to help manage common side effects.