Lip injections with anesthesia?

I've not met the person who enjoys needle injections in their mouth.  There are several solutions, but what works best for you should be a subject discussed at your planning appointment.  Possibilities include anti-anxiety medication in advance (works wonders!), anesthetic cream in your mouth beforehand so you don't feel the needles, injecting with topical (skin) anesthetic only, and (depending on where you are being injected) using cannulas instead of needles.  Application of cold, ethyl chloride, supplementing topical anesthesia with penetrants such as DMSO, relaxing music, grasping foam to squeeze during the treatments, having family or a friend in the room with you, and other helpful situational features can be arranged in advance.Don't worry, be happy!

Topical anesthesia, ice and distraction tend to work very well for lip injections. Scheduling adequate time is also critical to ensuring your comfort. If your injector is rushed you will not have a good experience. I perform lip injections frequently for surgical patients under anesthesia for other surgical procedures but would not put someone under anesthesia solely for a lip injection. If you have significant anxiety, a light oral sedative like Xanax could be prescribed by your physician injector prior to the treatment. Good luck. You'll do just fine in the right hands!Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

We do not offer office-based procedures like lip augmentation with either sedation or general anesthetic. If you're afraid of needles, lip augmentation may be performed with regional nerve blocks that will make your procedure nearly painless. Regional nerve blocks of the infraorbital nerves and the mental nerves typically leads to profound numbness of your lips during your procedure. These regional nerve blocks with dilute lidocaine are administered with a thin needle in your mouth, but in our experience, this lidocaine administration with four sticks is well tolerated in most.Hope this helps, and thank you.Dr Joseph

Lips are particularly sensitive for everyone. A mild sedative (Valium) and topical anesthetic ointment left on for 30-45 minutes along with icing should help make it minimally sensitive. Find an empathic PS with a soft touch. Good luck.

The lips are a particularly sensitive area for filler treatment. I would choose an experienced Dermatologist with a gentle touch. For your comfort, a topical anesthetic and ice can be applied before your treatment for a numbing effect. If you would like additional anesthesia, a nerve block can be given. Remember also that injectable fillers today come packaged with anesthetic in the filler. You should do well.Best regards,Dr. Balle

Unfortunately, it would not be a good idea to go under general anesthesia for lip injections because the risk of general anesthesia is too great for the sake of lip injections.  You can have topical numbing cream applied to your lips for 20-30 minutes prior to treatment which helps.  You could also take a medication to make you less anxious, like Valium, prior to your procedure, but in that case make sure you do not drive yourself home after your treatment.I would spend some more time thinking about the treatment to make sure you are comfortable with the thought of injections, as there is no way around the needles.Best wishes,Dr. Kristin HudacekBoard-Certified Dermatologist