Can eyelid surgery be done without anesthesia?

Some type of anesthesia is necessary for eyleid surgery.  Most cosmetic surgeons place local anesthesia (freezing) to the eyelid tissues prior to the surgery.  This helps with two parts of the surgery: It helps for the patient's comfort It decreases bleeding since most use a drug called epinephrine... more

Hi Carole, Upper and lower eyelid surgery is usually performed in my office under anesthesia.  Local anesthesia with "adrenaline" is injected just under the skin about 5 to 10 minutes prior to the treatment.  The only exception is if there is excessive fat pad protrusion in the... more

I'm assuming you are asking about which anesthetic options you have, not whether or not local anesthesia is needed.  Almost all doctors in this country will use a local anesthetic while performing any blephaorplasty surgery, for the reasons listed in the posts below. Local anesthesia - Almost any surgery... more

As you can see from all of the responses, most surgeons have recommended "local anesthesia," which is a form of anesthesia, simply not the type in which you go to sleep.  I recommend local anesthesia, which requires placing anesthetic with a small needle in and around the area for surgery. ... more

Certain types of eyelid rejuvination can be done with only local anesthesia. More complex and deeper procedures involving fat or muscle work require sedation or general anesthesia. Local anesthesia is given with an injection (usually Lidocaine). No surgery on the body can be done without at least local... more

Some form of anesthesia is needed to do any kind of surgery. There are generally three levels of anesthesia - local, sedation, and general. Local is similar to what most dentists will administer. It involves injecting numbing medicine at the area to be operated on. Sedation involves some sort of medication... more

Carole, Eyelid surgery, both upper and lower lid does not require anesthesia. For many years now we have performed almost all facial cosmetic surgery under local medication with conscience sedation. The sedation need only be deep enough to place the numbing medication in the lid comfortably. The sedation is... more

Depending on the extent of eyelid surgery and patient tolerance, there are many options available. As mentioned by several of my colleagues, the options are (in order of increasing medication): Straight local Local with oral sedation Local with IV sedation General (LMA or Endotracheal) A very minimal... more

Upper eyelid blepharoplasty can be safely performed under local anesthesia in most patients. The preoperative workup of a patient for blepharoplasty is important in assessing the anesthetic and surgical risks of a patient. Your surgeon should be qualified in the surgical and perioperative managment of patients... more

Local anesthesia is my general routine for blepharoplasty. The local anesthesia injections in the eyelids are not painless, but relatively low pain. Some patients desire a little oral or IV sedation which is always a possibility.