How much does a local anesthesia cost vs a general anesthesia in NYC?

The term "local anesthesia" generally implies that the surgeon is injecting a local anesthetic. I am not aware of a custom of charging a separate fee for this portion of the procedure, which most plastic surgeons simply consider part of the surgical procedure. General anesthesia, on the other hand, requires the additional expertise of another physician who is a board certified anesthesiologist, or a nurse anesthetist who has the knowledge and skills to administer intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. That said, there are many geographic variations in what is considered "usual and customary". In my own practice, local anesthesia is never charged for separately, but when general anesthesia is used, there is indeed a fee for the services of that physician or nurse anesthetist. I think most of us would agree that a fee of $1200 for the anesthetic alone indeed seems unusual. Your friend can and should discuss her concerns, even if they are financial, with her surgeon. With regard to any specific treatment, a consultation in person with your selected board certified plastic surgeon will include a discussion about which anesthesia method is best for you. I hope this information is useful to you. 

Thank you for your question.  Surgical and anesthesia costs do vary from one geographical area to another.  Local anesthesia refers to a procedure where your surgeon will be injecting numbing solution.  General anesthesia is where you would have an anesthesia doctor administering medication to allow you to sleep through the procedure.  Best to seek care with board certified physicians.  Good luck.

I perform all my facial procedures including facelift, eyelids, brow lifts, and neck liposuction under local anesthesia with moderate sedation which is administered by a nurse who follows my orders. I don’t charge anything for this service as I consider it as part of my operation. Local anesthesia is also used to minimise bleeding during surgery thus it is necessary even during general anesthesia. In some cases because of patient’s medical condition or if they want to have heavy sedation an anesthesiologist is called in and they would charge for their services separately. We usually offer this choice to patients, but I definitely prefer a local anesthesia under my control with less sedation and no extra cost to patients.