I am having a full facelift in June. I would like to choose "conscious sedation" to save money but I am wondering from the doctor's point of view, how is it different for YOU when the patient is not completely out? I also wonder- will I be bored? It's 5 hours or so lying on a table? I can't read, or listen to music! WIl I be out enough to make the time go? Will I have something in the drip that helps me forget?
Answer: Conscious sedation for a facelift I find some of the comments from Dr Commons below extraordinary. "if you are foolish enough to choose being awake" " too many patients experience discomfort during a facelift" etc... These, I suggest, are the words of a clinician that doesn't know how to give local anaesthetic properly. I perform facelifts, only facelifts and lots of them. Of the last 200 full (not mini) facelifts I have performed under conscious sedation alone, not one has experienced discomfort during the procedure or would appreciate being called foolish. Of the 26 revision facelifts I have performed in the last 4 months, all of whom had previously had a general anaesthetic, none of them would prefer the process or recovery of their previous experience, All of them expressed how much more pleasant sedation was.I am strongly of the opinion that conscious sedation is the ONLY way to lift a face. Our faces are the most dynamic and expressive parts of our body, so why lie them flat, stick a breathing tube in them, paralyse them and then guess on the vector of lift? Sure general anaesthesia is a gift for the surgeon to work on your tissues as he has a recumbent asleep patient whose blood pressure has been artificially lowered to minimise bleeding. The patient can't feel anything so local anaesthetic infiltration is a quick half hearted process. Result? a rebound hypertension and pain on awaking, sore throat and cough from the ET tube, drains to drain off the inevitable resulting fluid accumulation.Conscious sedation enables real time assessment of the facial nerve " smile, raise your brow etc" during surgery. It enables assessment of lift vector and tension whilst sitting upright to see how gravity affects the lift. It is PAINLESS, if local anaesthesia is infiltrated meticulously and with care. During deeper dissection the sedation can be increased so that the patient is asleep.General anaesthetic was the norm and convention in the past. 1970's, 80's and 90's facial plastic surgery. It is 2015 now, I suspect sometime in the not too distant future General anaesthetic for facelifting will be seen as an archaic relic from times of old.Price should not be a factor in your decision which method of anaesthesia to undertake, but you need to be informed about the various options. I always have an anaesthetist attending all cases where sedation is given.
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Answer: Conscious sedation for a facelift I find some of the comments from Dr Commons below extraordinary. "if you are foolish enough to choose being awake" " too many patients experience discomfort during a facelift" etc... These, I suggest, are the words of a clinician that doesn't know how to give local anaesthetic properly. I perform facelifts, only facelifts and lots of them. Of the last 200 full (not mini) facelifts I have performed under conscious sedation alone, not one has experienced discomfort during the procedure or would appreciate being called foolish. Of the 26 revision facelifts I have performed in the last 4 months, all of whom had previously had a general anaesthetic, none of them would prefer the process or recovery of their previous experience, All of them expressed how much more pleasant sedation was.I am strongly of the opinion that conscious sedation is the ONLY way to lift a face. Our faces are the most dynamic and expressive parts of our body, so why lie them flat, stick a breathing tube in them, paralyse them and then guess on the vector of lift? Sure general anaesthesia is a gift for the surgeon to work on your tissues as he has a recumbent asleep patient whose blood pressure has been artificially lowered to minimise bleeding. The patient can't feel anything so local anaesthetic infiltration is a quick half hearted process. Result? a rebound hypertension and pain on awaking, sore throat and cough from the ET tube, drains to drain off the inevitable resulting fluid accumulation.Conscious sedation enables real time assessment of the facial nerve " smile, raise your brow etc" during surgery. It enables assessment of lift vector and tension whilst sitting upright to see how gravity affects the lift. It is PAINLESS, if local anaesthesia is infiltrated meticulously and with care. During deeper dissection the sedation can be increased so that the patient is asleep.General anaesthetic was the norm and convention in the past. 1970's, 80's and 90's facial plastic surgery. It is 2015 now, I suspect sometime in the not too distant future General anaesthetic for facelifting will be seen as an archaic relic from times of old.Price should not be a factor in your decision which method of anaesthesia to undertake, but you need to be informed about the various options. I always have an anaesthetist attending all cases where sedation is given.
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Answer: Twilight sedation option for facial rejuvenation I have performed well over 3,000 face and neck lifts under local anesthesia with oral sedation for over ten years. Without doubt it is safe and well tolerated by patients. Compare to the traditional facelift procedures that are performed under general anesthesia, the post operative complications associated with local anesthesia cases are lower and risk of bleeding is minimized. The key to a successful facelift procedure using local anesthesia is selection of the right patient by the surgeon and his or her comfort doing these cases.
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Answer: Twilight sedation option for facial rejuvenation I have performed well over 3,000 face and neck lifts under local anesthesia with oral sedation for over ten years. Without doubt it is safe and well tolerated by patients. Compare to the traditional facelift procedures that are performed under general anesthesia, the post operative complications associated with local anesthesia cases are lower and risk of bleeding is minimized. The key to a successful facelift procedure using local anesthesia is selection of the right patient by the surgeon and his or her comfort doing these cases.
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October 19, 2016
Answer: Facelift under sedation Face lift procedures can be performed under many different levels of anesthesia. I prefer MAC which is monitored anesthesia care, basically same as conscious sedation except that for a safety measure I have an anesthesiologist maintain the sedation rather than a nurse. It is extremely easy to perform any form of face lift under sedation, and general anesthesia is not necessary at all. I would not recommend local anesthesia only since that is very uncomfortable for the patient and the surgeon.
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October 19, 2016
Answer: Facelift under sedation Face lift procedures can be performed under many different levels of anesthesia. I prefer MAC which is monitored anesthesia care, basically same as conscious sedation except that for a safety measure I have an anesthesiologist maintain the sedation rather than a nurse. It is extremely easy to perform any form of face lift under sedation, and general anesthesia is not necessary at all. I would not recommend local anesthesia only since that is very uncomfortable for the patient and the surgeon.
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May 24, 2016
Answer: About the Facelift Procedure and Anesthesia #Facelifts and ancillary procedures are usually performed as #outpatient in a surgery center. A one night stay in post-operative care facility may be advisable in some cases. But, local #anesthetic combined with intravenous sedation is usually used. This will allow the patient to sleep through most of the procedure. General anesthesia is available upon request however is usually not necessary. Being this is an outpatient surgery, you will be provided the proper surgical wear to abide by surgical protocols and sanitation practices. The Lite-lift™ is generally performed with a local anesthetic and medication by mouth, which will keep you comfortable during the procedure and allow for an easier recovery.For more information about Lite-lift™, I welcome you to visit my website link provided below.
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May 24, 2016
Answer: About the Facelift Procedure and Anesthesia #Facelifts and ancillary procedures are usually performed as #outpatient in a surgery center. A one night stay in post-operative care facility may be advisable in some cases. But, local #anesthetic combined with intravenous sedation is usually used. This will allow the patient to sleep through most of the procedure. General anesthesia is available upon request however is usually not necessary. Being this is an outpatient surgery, you will be provided the proper surgical wear to abide by surgical protocols and sanitation practices. The Lite-lift™ is generally performed with a local anesthetic and medication by mouth, which will keep you comfortable during the procedure and allow for an easier recovery.For more information about Lite-lift™, I welcome you to visit my website link provided below.
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December 22, 2015
Answer: Facelift Anesthesia Choices Five hours is a long time for conscious sedation which is another name for "twilight sleep" - the feeling you have just as you drift off. Medications can be given through your IV to make you more comfortable. In my practice procedures over 4 hours are most often done under general anesthesia.#faceliftanethesia#faceliftanesthesiachoices
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December 22, 2015
Answer: Facelift Anesthesia Choices Five hours is a long time for conscious sedation which is another name for "twilight sleep" - the feeling you have just as you drift off. Medications can be given through your IV to make you more comfortable. In my practice procedures over 4 hours are most often done under general anesthesia.#faceliftanethesia#faceliftanesthesiachoices
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March 3, 2015
Answer: General Anesthesia vs Conscious sedation For cases with conscious sedation or twilight anesthesia, the patient is usually asleep but breathing on their own. The decision of which type of anesthesia to undergo has to do with the comfort of the surgeon, the surgery center or hospital and the anesthesiologist. From a surgeon's point of view, as long as the patient is appropriately asleep, comfortable and taken care of by the anesthesiologist, it does not make a big difference which type of anesthesia is administered.
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March 3, 2015
Answer: General Anesthesia vs Conscious sedation For cases with conscious sedation or twilight anesthesia, the patient is usually asleep but breathing on their own. The decision of which type of anesthesia to undergo has to do with the comfort of the surgeon, the surgery center or hospital and the anesthesiologist. From a surgeon's point of view, as long as the patient is appropriately asleep, comfortable and taken care of by the anesthesiologist, it does not make a big difference which type of anesthesia is administered.
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