Pain during cosmetic eye surgery despite sedation?

The eyelid surgery is generally well tolerated but some extra local anesthesia is usually needed if there is fat to remove.  The gentle pulling on the fat can irritate nerves deeper down than the original local covered.

IV sedation can vary in the level of consciousness and awareness. It is a spectrum and there are times when you will be more or less sensate. Furthermore, there are times that your body can feel pain and you may react with your vital signs (increased rate and blood pressure) without being consciously aware or... more

The only way to guarantee that you will not feel pain during a procedure is to have general anesthesia to insure you are completely asleep. I.V. sedation varies greatly in it's effectiveness. Every patient responds differently, some patients require very little to make them comfortable, while others require... more

Usually, the forehead and lower lids are anesthetized with local anesthetic solution. This should make these areas totally numb for the surgery - even if you would not receive further IV sedation. During the numbing process, the anesthesiologist will give you more medication (including a... more

With eye surgery it's easy enough to have the patient sleep while the lids are injected with local anesthetic.  However, the brows require a much larger areas of coverage.  With that said as long as your plastic surgeon blocks all of the appropriate nerves with a combination of short and long acting... more

If the IV sedation is light, it is quite possible the patient will experience a small amount of pain during the surgery, usually during the injections of local anesthetic, and during manipulation of the fat in the upper eyelid.  If the anesthetic is deeper, such as that performed by an anesthesiologist,... more

Although both procedures are generally well tolerated under local anesthesia with sedation, general anesthesia is the only way to guarantee no pain.  Surgeon preference generally dictates which type of anesthesia is used, but you should talk to your surgeon about your concerns.

There are several ways of providing anesthesia for Browlift and Blepharoplasty. The one you mention works very well. Even then, there are options. Once the areas are anesthetized, you will feel only movement, pressure and wet/cold. You may feel the injection to the nerve under the eye and the several nerves... more

Under most circumstances a  patient under IV sedation will not recollect any pain for eyelid surgery. That  said, every person's threshold  for  good IV sedation differs  and that is why a dedicated person administrating the sedation is best. The dept of sedation will determine the... more

Sedation and local can be fine foreyelid surgery, but youhave to make sure it's being done right. You should have a board certified anestheioslogist doing the anesthesia. An operating rooom is preferable, but an office OR is OK if their is an anesthesiologist. Don't accept shortcuts or you'll be taking... more