Facelifts Under Local Anesthesia

Minimal Scar Facelift Under Local Anesthesia

Over the last 2 years, I have been performing a minimal scar facelift under local anesthesia.  Prior to this time, I had performed this surgery under general anesthesia or heavy intravenous sedation.  I started performing this surgery  in this manner after a number of my patients were requesting less anesthesia.  The patient is given Valium by mouth 1 hour prior to surgery.  Even though the patient is awake, I have found that the patient experiences minimal discomfort.

Following surgery, there is some bruising and swelling.  Most of my patients can return to work in 1 week.  The pain following this surgery is minimal since the sensory nerves of the face are bruised and don’t return for several weeks.  The patient must sleep upright with the head elevated for 1 week.  No heavy exercise can be done for  3 weeks following the surgery.

Unfortunately, none of us are getting younger.  While fillers and Botox are good temporary ways to enhance our appearance, nothing works better for facial rejuvenation then surgery.  When considering the excellent results and the minimal downtime with this procedure, I highly suggest to patients that they consider this type of surgery under local anesthetic.