In today’s modern world of aesthetics, more and more people concern themselves with their appearance. This doesn’t just apply to those who go to the gym every day, or eat kale for breakfast, but also to medical patients. Abels & Annes says, “Regardless of what type of injury was sustained, if a victim is forced to undergo surgery, there will almost always be a scar. Scars are not only visually unattractive but they can produce physical challenges as well.” Patients want less pain, faster recovery times, and no lasting scars when concerning surgery. Minimally invasive surgeries seek to do just that. This article explores the top 5 least invasive surgeries in the modern medical field.
Cosmetic Surgeries
Most cosmetic surgeries performed in the United States are done by trained professionals, who specialize in minimizing visible scars and lacerations. Common cosmetic surgeries include, from least to most invasive, Facelifts, Tummy Tucks, and Liposuction.
Gall Bladder Surgery
In recent years, surgeons have taken a minimally invasive approach to removing infected Gall Bladders. Currently, Gall Bladder surgery only requires an incision millimeters in length. The use of cameras and specialized tools has drastically decreased the recovery time and lasting scars and lacerations for patients.
Knee Replacement Surgery
Knee surgery has traditionally been a very invasive process, and leaves the patient unable to walk for weeks. Fortunately, with minimally invasive techniques, knee surgery has become much less of a problem. Surgeons now use smaller incisions, as well as advanced techniques to minimize muscle and bone damage, leading to a reduction in pain as well as a faster recovery time.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
As one of the more popular forms of diet control, Gastric Bypass surgery has become much less invasive in recent years. The surgery has advanced to the point where a skilled surgeon can perform the operation with minimal cutting. In the past, most open Gastric Bypass surgeries involved one long incision, ranging from ten to fourteen inches long. New minimally invasive techniques have multiplied the one incision to five or six, but the incisions themselves are only 3/4 of an inch long. This leads to faster recovery times, as well as no unsightly scars and lacerations on the patient.
Curettage and Desiccation
The last surgery on our list, is the least invasive of all, considering that it is not invasive. An operation used to treat skin cancer, Curettage and Desiccation utilizes a scraping technique to remove cancerous cells, and then subsequently uses machine to send electrical pulses into the skin, cauterizing the area. The process is simple, and does not require stitches to close the wound.
Thanks to the advancement in surgical techniques, invasive procedures are becoming a thing of the past. The medical community has realized that open surgeries present more complications and longer recovery times, when compared to the newer less invasive operations.
