There’s a growing trend in how breast implant procedures are being conducted, reports the New York Times—awake surgeries. Instead of putting you out under general anesthesia, doctors and patients are electing to use local anesthetics in the breasts instead. On the patient’s side of thing, the reason is clear: She wants to make sure she’s happy with how her boobs look in order to avoid another corrective surgery. Says one doctor who works this way: “They are talking to me the entire time.” (About what, we’d like to know!) “Once the new implants are in, his patients are propped up on the operating table, look in a mirror and have their say.” While some medical professionals believe the procedure is safer and better this way, there’s also a potentially dangerous implication of the awake surgery. Explains the Times, “Awake breast surgery is usually done in an office that might not have been vetted for safety by an accrediting organization.” Eek! Sounds a bit weird to us … could you imagine being awake and watching yourself getting sliced open? [New York Times]
