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Can I Get a Tummy Tuck While Awake?

would any doctor actually do a tummy tuck while you're awake? What about a mini tummy tuck?

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anesthesia awake safety

Tummy tuck under local anesthesia

Anlost any procedure can be done under local anesthesia. It may not be comfortable or pleasant, but it can be done. Generally it is better to perform this procedure under general anesthesia because the airway can be protected from stomach contents, an unlikely but possible scenario.

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Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

General anesthesia best suited for Tummy Tuck

General anesthesia is the better suited anesthesia technique for your particular operation. It will leave you feeling more comfortable during the operation, and as mentioned preiously, protects your airway. The importance of a board-certified anesthesiologist cannot be emphasized more.I also believe a better and more precise result is achieved with general as opposed tointravenous sedation, where surgeons will often incorporate a fair amount of tumescent fluid for patient comfort. The... more

Jeffrey D. Hoefflin, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck anesthesia

Tummy tucks are normally done under general anesthesia, meaning the patient is "asleep". I personally have not had any patients ask to be awake, and I would not recommend it. There is a lot of dissection involved, and it is ideal to perform this in a controlled environment. If all you needed was surgery on a small or limited area, then performing this while you were awake would be reasonable. In that case, you could be given "local anesthesia" where the area that was... more

Anita Patel, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck awake

There are a lot of answers to the question you did not ask. ie can it be done under local? the reponse to your question can it be done awake is yes. usually with a spinal and mild sedative. not my choice but to each his own. a better question is "Is it safe to not use general anesthesia? I would argue yes, sometimes even safer to choose an alternative. trust your surgeon and do your homework. Look up the really good work by Mustoe et al.

Rafael C. Cabrera, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Safe anesthesia for tummy tucks

The simplest answer to your brief question is that yes, performing abdominoplasty / tummy tuck (including mini) under local anesthesia would be possible. Your question raises a number of other questions. First, consider the training, board-certification, and experience of the surgeon performing the procedure. This is the most important factor in obtaining a good quality outcome. An experienced plastic surgeon would be best. Second, consider the quality of the anesthesia provider. Is the... more

Sutton Graham II, MD

Greenville Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Anaesthesia choice for tummy tuck surgery

Tummy tucks can be done under local anaesthetic but not routinely. They are either done under general anaesthesia which is most common or under regional anaesthesia such as an epidural or spinal where the lower part of the body is the only part under anaesthesia and it is usually combined with sedation to keep you comfortable for the duration of the procedure. Using only local anaesthetic means you are completely awake and this is not good for a big procedure like this. General anaesthesia... more

Bahram Ghaderi, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy Tuck while awake

"Tummy tucks" can be done under a well placed epidural anesthesia similar to that used in Caesarian delivery. It's best for patient comfort to have some intavenous anesthesia to increase pt. comfort because these take longer than Cesarians do. When I do these, I prefer an anesthesiologist who does a lot of Obstetrics.

Barry H. Dolich, MD

Bronx Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy tuck often done under epidural anesthesia.

Hi. In New York City, we often do a tummy tuck under epidural anesthesia. We use sedation with it, but you can pretty much be as awake as you want, because there is no pain.

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy Tuck while awake is not recommended

A tummy tuck is a 3-4 hour surgery and involves many steps. It is critical for the patient to be completely still so the surgeon can concentrate on the surgery and not be distracted. If you want to best result possible, I recommend general anesthesia. I understand this means more cost to you. However, remember you are not purchasing an item which can be returned if defective. Compromising safety and quality on your body is not returnable and often very hard to repair. see video

Michael A. Jazayeri, MD

Santa Ana Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

General anesthesia for Tummy Tuck Surgery

It is not recommended to have this procedure performed without being put completely under general anesthesia. It is a very complicated surgery and it needs to be performed correctly. I believe you will compromise your results and absolutely don't recommend that you do this. I perform tummy tuck surgeries 2-3 times a week and could not imaging EVER offering to do it for a patient and not going under general anesthesia. Please choose your surgeon wisely.

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Tom J. Pousti, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy tuck without general anesthesia is of questionable benefit

The key to cosmetic surgery is safety, with a pleasant experience and smooth recovery. Certainly general anesthesia is a risk factor, though a very small one. Tummy tuck can be done with a sedation technique depending on local blocks to the nerves along the side or flank, and using the same solution as in liposuction to numb the skin of the abdomen. The process is published and proven, though the benefits over a general anesthesia are not. It remains an alternative for those who wish it,... more

Peter E. Johnson, MD

Des Plaines Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

No full tummy tuck while awake

Not a full tummy tuck, but if a very minor mini tummy tuck, it could be possible. But without photos, how can any of us expert posters answer the question definitively? Please see 3 boarded plastic surgeons in your area.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Absolutely no for Tummy Tuck while awake

You can cut all the corners you want. If you want the best results go to a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Doing a tummy tuck awake is below standard of care in my opinion. It is a surgery that requires relaxation of the muscles and the patient asleep to do correctly. You would not want open heart surgery awake or your appendix removed awake...so don't cut corners when it comes to your health and safety. Good luck.

Andrew T. Cohen, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy tuck under Local Anesthesia

Tummy tuck under a local anesthesia, with or or without IV sedation, is a compromise. It is very difficult to obtain adequate muscle tightening, which is a fundamental part of the operation. It is not any safer than when performed under a general anesthetic and may require very high doses of local anesthetic. To get the best results possible, I believe, requires a general anesthetic.

Robert M. Jensen, MD

Medford Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Abdominoplasty while awake is not recommended

I would not recommend an abdominoplasty awake for a few reasons, although this can be done. First, it would require a large amount of local anesthesia to adequately anesthetize the area, which may be dangerous. Second, because most tummy tucks tighten the muscle, muscle relaxation is important. And finally, because of the length of the operation and the risk of aspiration, it is good to have an anesthesiologist there. I do think a mini tummy tuck can be done under local if only skin is... more

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Kari L. Colen, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

Anesthesia for Abdominoplasty

Yes, one can do an abdominoplasty under local (or regional) anesthesia. The question is, why would you consider it? Local anesthesia would significantly increase the time it takes to do the surgery and, thus, the cost of the OR. It also will make the surgery significantly harder, and it may be very difficult to get as good a result. Additionally, it is no safer than well administered general anesthesia and the recovery is longer. When the gas used with general anesthesia is turned off, you... more

Robert T. Buchanan, MD

Highlands Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

A Tummy Tuck CAN be done under local anesthesia... But it's probably not in your best interests.

Hi there- I have personally done tummy tuck surgery under all possible anesthetic techniques, and would have you understand the following: Doing a tummy tuck under local, it is almost impossible to achieve as good an outcome as you can reliably achieve with the patient under general anesthesia. Without muscle relaxation (medication given when under general anesthesia that paralyzes the muscles, making their tightening much more effective), effective muscle tightening is simply not possible... more

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Armando Soto, MD

Orlando Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy Tuck and local anesthesia

Technically, you could have this done under local anesthesia, but it would be hard to adequately and safely numb the entire abdomen for the whole procedure. In addition, if your abdominal muscles are not relaxed, as they would be under general anesthesia, it would be difficult to tighten them. I always prefer to have both mini and full tummy tucks under general anesthesia, as it provides the safest and most comfortable experience for the patient, which really is the bottom line. Good luck. more

Nina S. Naidu, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Mini abdominoplasty can be done while awake

A mini-abdominoplasty can be easily done under local. Doing a full abdominoplasty is a bit more work and would likely be uncomfortable under straight local. Doing it with some sedation or perhaps under spinal would be another alternative.

Robert Frank, MD

Munster Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

No reason to have Tummy Tuck while awake

Why would you want to? Do you like pain? There is no reason to do a tummy tuck while awake, it can be done, but why do something that will be painfull and annoyig to both you and the surgeon. In the 1800's anesthesia was invented. It has gotten progressively better and safe. Just because it is possible to do an operation under local only why worry about pain and comfort. Talk to your surgeon and have him explain why he uses some form of sedation or general anesthesia.

William B. Rosenblatt, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Full tummy tuck not generally done under local

Any procedure can be under local anesthesia but the more involved the procedure the more you will feel it. A full tummy tuck is very comprehensive that corrects many layers of tissue. Lesser forms of a tummy tuck would be more reasonable to do under local anesthesia, such as a mini tuck. There are too many times where the procedure under local anesthesia has to be curtailed due to patent's comfort or safety. If you are healthy and capable of doing the procedure you should be able to tolerate... more

Marcus L. Peterson, MD

Saint George Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy Tuck while awake

I have had a few patients who have asked about this, and I agree that an epidural would really be best. Since I do liposuction with so many of my patients lying face down, it's not practical for me. Also, I'm not really sure how many patients are truly comfortable being awake and aware of all the things we are doing during a tummy tuck!

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John LoMonaco, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Local anesthesia for tummy tuck

Some surgeons, and I was trained this way, perform the tummy tucks under local. For a variety of reasons, I prefer to perform them under general anesthesia. As mentioned by Dr, Rand, some surgeons use "regional" (spinal or epidural) anesthesia but this is frequently associated with bladder problems.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy tuck under epidural anesthesia

I personally don't do this but have a close friend who does all of his tummy tucks under epidural anesthesia. This is the very least you need, most would recommend a general anesthetic.