Walker Plastic Surgery | In Office Procedures

In Office Procedures

At Walker Plastic Surgery, many of our surgical services can be performed with great comfort as well as improved safety and cost in the clinic setting without having to "go to sleep" or have a breathing tube. Using a combination of anti-anxiety and pain relieving medications, light sedation, and local and topical numbing agents, many procedures can be done with great comfort and safety without the use of general anesthesia or an operating room.

Dr. Walker has extensive experience in performing several key plastic surgery procedures in the awake setting in a way that causes minimal stress and a comforting environment for the patient.

What are some common procedures that can be performed in the office without general anesthesia or an IV?

The following procedures are offered in the in office setting at Walker Plastic Surgery:

Upper and Lower Eyelid Surgery for skin and "eye bags" removal, also known as Blepharoplasty.
One or two areas of Liposuction, often with skin tightening treatments such as Body Tite and Face Tite. Common areas treated in the office are the love handles, arms, upper back, abdomen, and submental region for neck contouring.
Lip Augmentation and Upper Lip Lifts.
Facial Fat Grafting for natural facial filler
Ear Surgery; Treatment of prominent ear, stretched or torn ear lobe, or keloids of the ear.
Labiaplasty for vaginal rejuvenation
Treatment of Axillary Breast Tissue that occurs in the arm pit.
Male Breast Reduction for patients with mild Gynecomastia without significant skin laxity.
Chin Augmentation

What are the benefits of having a procedure in the awake, in office setting instead of general anesthesia?

There are several benefits to having a procedure awake with light sedation in the office versus general anesthesia:

Less overall drowsiness
Less down time from effects of anesthesia
Less post operative nausea
No IV required
Significant cost savings; many procedures are less than half the cost when done in the office setting.

Why would I choose general anesthesia instead of in office treatment?

For many procedures, general anesthesia is still a better choice and is very safe when done for the correct patient. In procedures that have a wide area of treatment, it can be difficult to safely provide enough numbing medication. For others, it is important to have the patient asleep to provide maximum safety for factors such as preventing excessive movement, more closely monitoring hydration, to provide a good experience without excess anxiety, etc. This option is chosen when necessary to increase the safety of the procedure and provide a good experience. We perform an extensive pre operative evaluation, and Dr. Walker has hand selected all of his anesthesia providers, so that we can provide the best, safest experience possible to our patients when general anesthesia is required.