What Are The Side Effects of General Anesthesia, and Does AirSculpt® Use It?

General anesthesia is considered to be mostly safe. Even if you have serious health problems, you should be able to tolerate general anesthesia without incurring severe health-related issues.

But as with any drug or medical procedure, there can be side effects. 

Short-Term Side Effects of General Anesthesia

Most general anesthesia side effects occur immediately after surgery and do not last long. Once the surgery is over and the anesthesia wears off, you will slowly wake up in the operating or recovery room. You will probably feel groggy and a little confused.

You may also experience some of these common side effects:

1. Nausea and vomiting. This side effect is common post-procedure, but some people may feel sick for a day or two. Medications for nausea may help.
2. Dry mouth. You may feel dehydrated when you wake up. As long as you are not too exhausted, drinking water can help with a dry mouth.
3. Sore throat or hoarseness. A tube inserted down your throat during the operation to help you breathe may cause a sore throat when it is removed.
4. Chills and shivering. It is common for your body temperature to drop under general anesthesia. Doctors and nurses ensure your temperature does not drop too much during surgery, but you may wake up with chills and a cold. The chills may last from a few minutes to hours.
5. Confusion and vagueness of thought. When you first wake up after anesthesia, you may feel confused, sleepy, and fuzzy. This usually lasts only a few hours, but in some people - especially older adults - the confusion may last for days or weeks.
6. Muscle pain. Medications used during surgery to relax muscles may cause pain afterward.
7. Itching. If narcotics are used during or after surgery, you may experience itching. 
8. Bladder problems. After general anesthesia, you may have trouble urinating for a short time.

Long-Term Side Effects of General Anesthesia

Most people do not experience long-term side effects. However, some people, often older adults, may experience side effects that last longer than a few days.

These may include:

1. Postoperative delirium. Some people may be confused, disoriented, or have difficulty remembering things after surgery. This disorientation may come and go but usually goes away after a week.
2. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction. Some people may have persistent memory problems or other cognitive impairments after surgery. However, this is unlikely to be caused by the anesthetic and is often a consequence of the surgery itself.

AirSculpt® Procedures Do Not Use General Anesthesia

One of the most noteworthy characteristics of patented AirSculpt® technology is the avoidance of general anesthesia. While general anesthesia has been proven safe and reliable, the precise nature of AirSculpt® allows patients to remain fully awake and never have to be put under.

All AirSculpt® procedures are performed under local anesthetic, reducing the risks of an adverse reaction to general anesthesia and allowing patients to be maneuvered by and even talk to their surgeon during treatment. This benefit means balanced, proportional results are always provided, and surgeons can personalize results exactly to their patient's desires. 

AirSculpt® procedures begin with the skin being numbed without a needle, thanks to our unique AirPen device. Then, a small entry point or points are made with a tool called a biopsy punch, which seamlessly creates a two-millimeter-wide opening instead. This step replaces the invasive cutting of an incision with a scalpel, usually done during traditional liposuction. 

Thanks to the less invasive nature of AirSculpt®, patients only experience up to a 48-hour downtime and begin taking walks the day after treatment.

This next-generation body sculpting option ensures that making changes to your body doesn't become a nerve-wracking decision. Call the office nearest you to start working with us to schedule your in-person or virtual consultation.