By Plastic Surgeon Dr Dirk Kremer.

I recently discussed the top plastic surgery trends that would take off in 2017, and I've decided to today expand on one of those topics: The Twilight Tweakment. I really believe that this form of cosmetic treatment will begin to take off when more patients learn what it is, and the benefits that come from it. So, consider this a crash course in Twilight Tweakments.

What is a Twilight Tweakment?

A Twilight Tweakment involves conducting minor invasive surgery under local anaesthetic or sedation, as opposed to under general anaesthetic, as is usually administered when undergoing a cosmetic procedure such as a breast augmentation. In particular, nip tucks are set to be one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures performed under sedation in 2017.

It has been reported that an increasing number of plastic surgery patients are having face-lifting procedures conducted under local anaesthetic, with only 1 in every 10 surgeries performed under general anaesthetic according to some cosmetic surgeons.

I talked in quite some detail last year about how tweakments were the next big trend, and Twilight Tweakments are just a natural progression for this trend.

In fact, this trend is only now coming to British plastic surgery clinics despite the fact that it has been relatively popular for quite some time in North America. However, I would suggest that it is arriving in Britain at a more relevant time; one other popular cosmetic trend is for smaller breasts and nipples, especially with the athletic body increasingly becoming the ideal. As such, twilight procedures can be used, for example the short scar breast augmentation; this trend has arrived hand-in-hand with procedures that can benefit from sedation and local anaesthetic-based surgeries.

What are the benefits of Twilight Tweakments?

One of the biggest benefits of minimalist enhancements through sedation or local anaesthesia is that it reduces the patient’s downtime, giving natural results for treatments that are walk-in and walk-out.

In fact, there has been an increase in the number of patients actively asking if their treatments can be part of a twilight procedure. In fact, one plastic surgeon mentioned that only 10% of his patients in 2016 had to stay in hospital overnight. Part of this is the understanding that one of the biggest risks of elective surgery is going under general anaesthetic; this is something that discourages people from going under life-saving surgery, so is definitely going to put off people who want surgery to boost their confidence.

Other benefits of local anaesthetic are that it is safer in general, cheaper, and there’s less post-operative nausea for patients to overcome. What’s more, procedures performed under local anaesthetic generally have a much shorter recovery period. Along with this, patients aren’t required to forego eating or taking certain medications before surgery, though it is still advised that they avoid alcohol and smoking (either tobacco or e-cigarettes).

Not only do twilight tweakments benefit patients, they also benefit plastic surgeons, because these treatments tend to be office-based and are much more cost-effective.

If you’re considering plastic surgery, I offer a range of procedures at my office on Harley Street, including my Signature procedures, which achieve natural results. To arrange a consultation, get in touch today by filling out an online form.