Does an eye lift / brow lift require general anesthesia?

Almost all eyelid and most brow lift techniques can be performed under local anesthesia in the office. If extra sedation is needed, then IV sedation can be added. But general anesthesia is generally NOT necessary.

We never do these surgeries with general anesthesia in my practice. Local with some sedation is all that is needed for a comfortable surgery.  If it is just lids they can even be done with straight local anesthesia.

No.An eye lift (i.e., blepharoplasty) and brow lift can be safely and effectively performed without a general anesthetic. Some sedation should be performed, however, because often people do not realize how anxiety can elevate their blood pressure or increase the day of the procedure, thereby leading to a less than comfortable experience for the patient and surgeon.  At a minimum, I would typically recommend IV sedation (aka conscious sedation), which similar to the sedation performed during a colonoscopy or wisdom tooth extraction.All anesthesia types are very safe if the proper pre-operative medical history, physical examination, laboratory exams and other necessary studies are performed; additionally, if the procedures are performed in an accredited surgical facilities with qualified staff.The attached link and website provides more information. I hope this helps.

Local and sedation is a reasonable form of anesthesia for these procedures.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Absolutely not. In fact I feel I can do a better operation for my patients if they can occasionally open and close their eyes for me during the operation. I stress to them that they will be completely comfortable in the OR, that they will have no concerns and that their recollection will be very hazy. In fact I have always done facelifts as well using sedation along with local anesthesia and my patients are very pleased with the ease and comfort of this technique. All the best.

Brow lift and blepharoplasty is most commonly performed under intravenous sedation without general anesthesia and intubation. This is very similar to how colonoscopy and other GI procedures are done safely by the millions annually. Unfortunately, many surgeons feel more comfortable with general anesthesia but you should be able to find many surgeons who avoid general anesthesia.

Brow lift under local anesthesia? Yes! But more importantly is how and where the incision is so your hairline is not raised if it is already high. This requires the Irregular Trichophytic Incision which we developed 35 years ago.

General anesthesia is almost cultural for some surgeons.  They are simply accustom to having their patients under general anesthesia with an endotracheal tube in place.  In fairness to anesthesiologist, there are many important reasons to have a patient under general anesthesia.  Intravenous sedation that is deep is considered a form of general anesthesia.  These cases require the anesthesia monitor to careful monitor the patient at all times.  In contrast placing a patient on inhaled general anesthesia allows the used of automatic equipment that has profoundly improved the safety of general anesthesia.  Most anesthesiologists consider intravenous sedation and general anesthesia to be of comparable safety.  Just eyelid surgery can be performed under local anesthesia.  However, the forehead component (which should be done endoscopically) benefits from intravenous sedation.  The anesthesia has a small risk associated with it but is considered an acceptable risk.  If you are uncomfortable with general anesthesia, I encourage you to find a surgeon who is comfortable with intravenous sedation for these procedures.  The drugs used for intravenous sedation make it very difficult to remember what happened during surgery.  You are not going to have to watch your procedure.

Upper blepharoplasty can be comfortably performed under local, without general anesthesia. Lower blepharoplasty can be performed under local, with IV sedation, or general depending on patient and physician preference.  This also largely depends on what needs to be done during the lower blepharoplasty.  Does the surgeon just need to do a little skin pinch?  Just a little transconjunctival fat removal?  Or does there need to be fat repositioning +/- lid tightening, etc.  These factors need to be considered on an individual basis and why you should see someone who is very well trained.  Most browlift surgery can be performed under IV sedation or general anesthesia (there are exceptions of course).  All the best!

First of all, it is very important to have a board certified physician anesthesiologist  in attendance throughout the entire procedure. Secondly it's also important to have your procedure performed in a certified and licensed outpatient ambulatory surgery Center. General anesthesia or IV sedation can be performed successfully on patients. With IV sedation, patients may have conscious awareness of a part the procedure and not be completely asleep. The type of anesthesia is a topic of discussion with your perspective surgeon. For many examples of eyelid surgery and brow lift surgery, please see the link below