Is twilight sedation safe? Looking into neck/lower face lift.

Intravenous
(IV) sedation is a reasonable option for many aesthetic procedures, including a neck and face lift . Most plastic surgeons prefer general anesthesia for breast
implants placed under the muscle. With either IV sedation or general
anesthesia, it is important that it be administered by an appropriate provider,
either a CRNA or ideally a Board Certified Anesthesiologist. Although some
surgeons administer their own anesthesia or have a nurse administer the medications, this is not optimal for safety, which
should be the primary concern.
With
any cosmetic procedure that requires either type of anesthesia, it should be
performed only in a facility licensed or accredited by one of the national
accrediting organizations like the American Association for Accreditation of
Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) and the surgery should be performed only
by a fully trained plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic
Surgery and ideally, a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery (ASAPS). Accreditation assures that the facility has yearly
inspections, appropriate equipment, adequate safety protocols, appropriately
trained personnel, a full complement of resuscitation medications, and a
hospital transfer agreement. You need to be also aware that many states do not
require inspection or accreditation of office based surgical facilities and
that not everyone who calls himself or herself a cosmetic surgeon is
in fact a fully trained plastic surgeon.
 
IV
sedation is a reasonable option in the appropriate patient and in the proper
setting.
 
Robert
Singer, MD  FACS
La Jolla, California
 

There are basically 3 levels of anesthesia available to patients undergoing cosmetic surgery: 1) general anesthesia, where you are unconscious and a machine breathes for you, 2) IV sedation, where you are unconscious but breathing on your own, then 3) local anesthesia where you are conscious abscess breathing on your own, but sedated with an oral medication. The choice of anesthesia is often decided by the surgeon, depending on the type of procedure. So discuss this with him or her. In our practice, facial operations are done under local anesthesia, but this is our preference. Practices will vary. I wish you the best!