Main fears of undergoing surgery

Undergoing surgery is never a pleasant matter. Many patients want to improve their appearance, but they fear the moment of entering the operating room, and this often even discourages them. On top of that there is the fear that the results will not be as desired, which is very common.

In this post we will cover some of the most common fears that
patients experience.

1) Fear of anesthesia

The most common fear patients have is usually anesthesia. It is a common reason why many people refuse to undergo cosmetic surgery. At some point in life, everyone will most likely be involved in a surgery that requires anesthesia.

First, we need to distinguish between the types of anesthesia that exist:

• Local anesthesia: The patient stays awake, but is given a drug that numbs the area to be treated. Its risk is very low.
• General anesthesia: The patient is put to sleep with medications that can be administered intravenously or by inhalation. This type of anesthesia is the one that raises the most doubts.

Patients who are afraid of anesthesia should stay calm. Thanks to advances in medicine, the safety of this procedure has increased significantly, and in the vast majority of cases it is completely safe.

The best way to overcome this fear is knowledge. The pre-anesthesia assessment is crucial and should never be skipped. This is the moment when the patient must disclose their full medical history, as well as any conditions or harmful habits such as excessive alcohol or tobacco use. For example, a person with damage to some of their organs must undergo a more thorough examination. At this stage, it is necessary to clear up any doubts the patient may have so they feel calmer and face the anesthesia without fear and with as little stress as possible, since much of the outcome will depend on their state of mind.

Also, during the procedure, the anesthesiologist will remain by the patient’s side at all times, monitoring their vital signs and making sure everything goes correctly.

According to estimates from the various National Institutes of Health, only 1 in every 250,000 patients experiences some type of complication during general anesthesia, mostly caused by a lack of knowledge of the patient’s medical history.

This is an insignificant figure compared to the number of surgeries performed.

2) Fear that the results will not be as desired

Another of the major fears patients have is that the results will not be as expected and will not match what they wanted. Every body is different, and the results and possibilities depend largely on the canvas being worked on and on the surgeon performing the surgery.

That is why, when undergoing surgery, cost should not be valued more than the surgeon’s prestige and professionalism. Many patients end up needing a second surgery because of this, and although it can yield good results, it will not have the same quality as if they had put themselves in the hands of a good surgeon from the start.

A surgeon’s success depends almost entirely on their reputation. That is why the doctor will try to make sure the results of the surgery are the best possible. In other words, they will do everything they can to meet the patient’s expectations.

3) Fear of infection after surgery

Another fear that troubles patients is the fear of developing an infection. This can happen for several reasons, such as malpractice on the surgeon’s part or inadequate post-operative care.

To minimize the chances of developing an infection, infectious disease
specialists recommend seeing surgeons and doctors endorsed by the organizations that represent that field.

As mentioned above, post-operative care is crucial to prevent an infection from developing, so the doctor’s instructions must be followed to the letter at all times.