Awake under the knife: How Dr. Sergei Kalsow is expanding the options for plastic surgery in New York

Dr. Sergei Kalsow, board-certified surgeon behind Dreams Plastic Surgery in New York, is marketing “awake” options for cosmetic procedures that are often done under general anesthesia. The article frames the shift around patients’ fear of “going under” and what they expect to feel or endure during surgery and recovery. Instead of placing patients fully under, Kalsow offers an alternative where people remain conscious for procedures including arm lifts, breast reductions, extended deep-plane facelifts, thigh lifts and Lipo360. He argues that complex surgery on an awake patient requires precise anesthetic distribution and technique rather than cutting corners. The article highlights the “Awake Arm Lift,” combining 360-degree liposuction with skin removal, and describes how awake positioning could help during Lipo360 by letting patients adjust at the surgeon’s direction.