what is your professional opinion of having a face lift (neck and face but not eyes or forehead) undr local?

Question

what is your professional opinion of having a face lift (neck and face but not eyes or forehead) under local anesthesia with sedation?

Answer 1

If you get a "Twlight Sleep" with some Versed (form of Valium) and you do not have to go through the injections. . cold turkey,then go for it.
It helps to cut the cost of the surgery and there are less risks than being put to sleep though as a general rule,being put to sleep is fairly risk free but there is always a risk when being put to sleep however small it is.
If you have a conventional face lift and not one of those "quick fix" face lift,be prepared for a fairly long period of laying on your back. . . .2-4hours depending on your Surgeon.
You will feel pressure,tugging and pulling as they tighten the skin.
You will hear things that will seem foreign to you just as you do when you go to the dentist. . but just as with the dentist,don't let these things bother you though they will most certainly concern you.
As the local wears off,your pain will come on gradually verses waking up from a general anesthesia where your pain comes to life the minute you wake up.
Be prepared for the look when you see your face for the first time as there will be a fair amount of bruising,swelling and taut skin. . . .DO NOT DESPAIR,this will resolve during your healing time.
Be aware that with a local and some mild sedation you will hear the OR crew talk and in your "sleepy" state you may hear things that you "think" they are saying about you but don't take it seriously as you may or may not be hearing the real things they are saying. . . Twilight sleep can play tricks on what you think you are hearing.
As long as you have confidence in your physician,I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Good Luck

Answer 2

That is entirely up to you and your surgeon.

I anesthetize people for this procedure frequently, and they do quite well.

A face lift can be a long procedure, and even if your face is numb, the rest of you isn't. If it takes 5 hours to do (which it may, depending on the surgeon and procedure), that's 5 hours where you can't move, scratch, pee, etc.

Local is not without risk. Too much local anesthetic can cause serious problems (including seizures and cardiovascular collapse). If your sedation is being monitored by someone who is not an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist, problems can arise that are out of that person's league to remedy.

One such problem is a paradoxical reaction to the sedation (the drug Versed can cause some people to become hyper instead of sedated). What typically happens is that the nurse will give more and more to sedate these people, and things get worse and worse. They do not have the option to go to general like we anesthesiologists do.

Sedation can also cause you to stop breathing if you get too much, and "too much" is a different amount for every patient.

If you have light sedation, it's much safer, but you will be aware of what is going on. You WILL feel the surgery, but it should not hurt.

On the plus side, if you don't have general anesthesia or deep sedation, you are less likely to become nauseated.

I'm biased, because I'm an anesthesiologist and I'm very concerned about safety, so I'd have an anesthesiologist taking care of me or anyone I love. I've also seen a lot of "sedation gone bad", because who do you think they call in when that happens? :)

Good luck to you with whatever you choose.

Answer 3

Its not worth the pain, swelling, infections, scaring, and the risk and trust of the man with the knife. Love your self for who you are. Just be happy and don't worry.