can a facelift be performed with local anesthesia facelift surgery is
considered one of the more complex and extensive cosmetic surgery procedures
this surgery involves working below the face and neck skin and manipulating
delicate tissue in order to lift and improve the appearance of the cheeks
gels and neck as a reflection of common practice by general plastic surgeons is
typically assumed that facelift surgery can be performed using general
anesthesia only the thought of being paralyzed temporarily and being placed
on a mechanical respirator can be the primary reason a lot of people avoid
surgery and keep spending time and money on ineffective skin heating procedures
I'll discuss how I perform all forms of facelift surgery in my practice under
local anesthesia with Lite IV sedation thus avoiding general anesthesia
altogether for my patients this approach allows them to enjoy their natural
results with quicker and more comfortable recovery
I'm Dr. Amiya Prasad I'm a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and
Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon I've been in
practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years
as early as during my training in facial cosmetic surgery I was formulating
concepts and methods to perform facelifts with local anesthesia instead
of general anesthesia I performed the full range of facelift techniques from
mini facelifts to deep plane face and neck lifts using local anesthesia with LITE
IV or intravenous sedation so why is general anesthesia something to be
avoided whenever possible well during general anesthesia
you are completely unconscious and paralyzed requiring a mechanical
respirator to keep you alive general anesthesia requires both intravenous
drugs and drugs delivered through gases which you breathe in due to the type of
drugs used in the effect of general anesthesia on your brain and body
patients can experience nausea vomiting and even memory loss it's common
practice for patients after general anesthesia to stay overnight at a
hospital or surgery center with close monitoring by nurses these patients
often have extensive facial bandages as well as drains which also need constant
attention patients who have surgery done with general anesthesia in my experience
take a longer time to recover from surgery as they are also recovering from
the effects of the anesthesia many times these patients require pain medications
in the opioid family of drugs in light of the recent rise in problems related
to opioid drug use not to mention the associated side-effects of nausea and
constipation I believe in doing everything I can to minimize discomfort
so opioid level medications are not necessary in contrast to general
anesthesia there are many advantages to performing facelifts with local
anesthesia and light sedation with local anesthesia and IV sedation my patients
breathe on their own without any need for mechanical assistance through after
surgery I also prefer the ease of movement I have to work on the face and
finely-tuned what I'm doing without a breathing tube or other devices
distorting the patient's face it's important that results look as good as
possible in the operating room so you look good after surgery by using local
anesthesia with LITE IV sedation my facelift patients are more comfortable
both during and after surgery IV sedation using drugs like propofol
combined with local anesthesia allows me to avoid the use of opioids like
fentanyl my patients sleep comfortably and are
easily awakened after completion of their procedure I place a light facial
bandage with no drains after surgery facelift patients are typically in
recovery for one to two hours after surgery before walking out on their own
and being escorted home I feel that this is preferable to recovering from general
anesthesia and needing to stay overnight at a hospital or other facility I have
found a faster rate of recovery as a major advantage of using local
anesthesia with IV sedation over general anesthesia our patients routinely return
to work in a week to two weeks with limited swelling and minimal bruising
while the use of local anesthesia with Lite IV sedation has made facelift
recovery faster and more comfortable for my patients there are other facelift
procedure methods I've also developed to optimize the camouflaging of incisions I
use advanced wound healing technology such as extracellular matrix and PRP or
platelet-rich plasma which has a remarkable effect on the healing of the
skin helping make the incisions look less conspicuous many of our patients
will also have other rejuvenating procedures at the same time as a
facelift such as upper and lower eyelid surgery chin implant and injectable
fillers all of our surgeries are performed in our own certified operating
facilities within our office our patients are comfortable and also
assured of the safety and quality standards which are in line with
hospitals and surgery centers throughout my career I've been an advocate of
having cosmetic surgeries such as eyelid surgery and face lift surgery performed
with local anesthesia and light sedation the medical literature is beginning to
acknowledge this thus validating my conviction of standing up for patient
safety and comfort of course in addition to safe and optimal anesthesia practices
it's important that you and your perspectives
surgeon have a clear understanding of the aesthetic outcome you can expect after
your facelift surgery I hope you found this information helpful thank you for
your question
you