Chin Implant - General Anesthesia?

This is a great question and one that my patients and I wrestle with often.  Numbing this area is quite easy as I do all my chin implants intraorally (incision inside the mouth).  These are easy nerves to numb and it is truly not more than a dental procedure. 

That being said, some people freak out in an operating room under local.  Obviously, you recover quicker from local anesthetic than general anesthetic, but there is potentially more anxiety depending on your personality.  The swelling, in my experience, is directly related to whether the implant is anchored well or not.  I screw all my implants into place with a titanium screw.  Because the implant is stabilized, it doesn't move and there is much less swelling, and truly quicker recovery.  If I had the choice of one or the other, I would take local anesthetic any day, but in fact, the choice is yours.

In my opinion, a chin implant can be done under local anesthesia, iv sedation or general anesthesia. Obviously, the costs are more to do under general anesthesia with iv sedation somewhere in the interim. It really boils down to whether you want the risks of general anesthesia or not as well as the costs. The outcomes including swelling, recovery, etc. from the procedure itself should be similar. The procedure itself is not very painful and can be easily blocked with lidocaine similar to a dental procedure.

A chin implant can be placed under local anesthesia with IV sedation (twilight anesthesia) or general anesthesia. Many surgeons have become accustomed to doing all procedures under GA despite the fact that almost all facial cosmetic surgery can be performed under IV sedation. The advantages of IV sedation include a much faster recovery, less sore throat and lower risk of post-operative nausea and vomiting. It is important to note that all surgeons have their own approach to facial plastic surgery. In many cases, the limitation is not the surgeon but the availability of a board-certified anesthesiologist experienced in providing IV sedation. For this reason, if you have found a good, trustworthy surgeon I wouldn't let the choice of anesthesia dissuade you from proceeding. GA is safe. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACS