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.

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

Local anesthesia supplemented with intravenous
(IV) sedation is a reasonable option for many aesthetic procedures, including an eyelid lift in conjunction with a brow lift. 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, 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 I would suggest that the surgery be performed
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 FACSLa Jolla, California