It’s ironic in answering this question that it touches on the history of Rhinoplasty. Cocaine placed in the nose is absorbed into the mucosa and causes two things: constriction of the blood vessels (decreasing bleeding) and numbing. These two properties are ideal for performing rhinoplasty under what is commonly called “local” anesthesia, and was the standard for decades when general anesthesia was very risky. Times have changed and Rhinoplasty is most commonly performed under general anesthesia supplemented with Lidocaine, since Cocaine can also cause an irregular heart beat as well as unsafe elevation of blood pressure
