Deep plane revision without general anesthesia, thoughts?

Question

Thinking of having procedure with only numbing and Valium. Thoughts?

Brendan Alleyne, MD, FACS · Answer

With local anesthesia and sedation almost any primary surgery can be accomplished. However, it mostly depends on the patient. If someone is calm and has minimal surgical complexity it makes sense. Revision cases where longer surgical times may be needed often times people are more comfortable and the surgery can be accomplished with less total time and anesthetic under MAC sedation or “Big MAC” which uses an LMA and avoids paralysis while also allowing the patient to stay shallow enough to protect their own airway. Not everyone is a candidate but it makes recovery faster and people feeling like themselves quicker. It also keeps everyone much more comfortable during the procedure.

Gianfranco Frojo, MD · Answer

This is a possible option. In my hands, it is much more comfortable for the patient to be asleep under general anesthesia.

Michael P. Morrissette, DDS, FACS · Answer

Many providers use this technique for deep plane facelift surgery. Local and tumescent anesthesia is also used so there is no discomfort. We use intravenous sedation for the majority of our cosmetic surgeries.

Jeffrey H. Spiegel, MD · Answer

But, use general anesthesia. The local anesthesia stops nerves from working so some safety is lost. The surgeon will be less able to know if they are getting close to a nerve (as it will not be working and the muscles on the face won't twitch).  
We do these procedures with propofol anesthesia (through an IV).  It's safe, effective, and you wake up feeling good.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

I’ve done facelifts under just Valium. It friends on the extent of work to be done and the patient’s willingness to have it done that way .  For a limited revision it should be no problem

Deep plane revision without general anesthesia, thoughts?

Answers (8)

Answer: Can be done, but

Answer: Can be done, but

Answer: Facelift revision

Answer: Facelift revision

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Everything you need to know about Facelift Revision

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Deep plane revision without general anesthesia, thoughts?

Answers (8)

Answer: Can be done, but

Answer: Can be done, but

Answer: Facelift revision

Answer: Facelift revision

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Facelift Revision

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.