IV Sedation....are you really asleep?

IV sedation is also known as conscious sedation.  When patients undergo surgery with IV sedation, they are breathing on their own but most people do fall in and out of sleep due to the sedation.  The amount of sedation can be varied to have you either more asleep or less asleep, but this must be done safely.  Most patients during IV sedation can be aroused to wake if needed.  You may be partially aware of what is happening, but most people are very comfortable with this type of anesthesia.  

There are many different types of anesthesia that are possible during a facelift procedure. These types range from oral sedation with local anesthesia to full general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Each surgeon and anesthesia provider has their own technique for facelifts. With IV sedation, this can mean being awake and quite aware of the surroundings, able to talk, etc. Alternatively, this same IV sedation can also mean being completely asleep, unaware of the surroundings, and snoring throughout the procedure. Be sure to ask your surgeon and anesthesia provider about these details and make sure you are comfortable with the type of anesthesia that is planned.
All the best,

The anesthesiologist will control level of consciousness. Iv sedation can range from conscious where you can answer questions to a technique called TIVA where you will be under much deeper anesthesia, all depending on what drugs you are given,bland what the plan is. hope this helps