Facelift and anesthesia. Does local anesthesia cause profuse hair loss? Is this a side effect of general anesthesia?

There is a long list of causes for hair loss. Post surgery several factors can cause hair loss, trauma to the scalp during surgery and reaction to drugs like general anesthetic agents are included on the list. Medical and surgical stress can also cause hair loss.
Unfortunately it is hard to predict which one of these may cause hair loss in any one individual. As a plastic surgeon performing facelifts there are several technical maneuvers to avoid hair loss including minimizing trauma to hair follicles and ensuring good blood supply to the hair. It would be unusual to see local anesthesia cause hair loss.

Hello and thank you for your question. Hair loss is not a known side effect of local anesthesia with sedation, but hair loss is a rare but possible side effect of general anesthesia. There may be other direct causes of the hair loss you have experienced after your facelift. For example, post-surgery stress, both common and natural, could be another factor leading to your hair loss. The good news is that this hair loss is usually temporary, and your hair will grow back in time. However, if you continue to experience these symptoms, or they get worse, schedule a follow-up appointment with your board-certified facial plastic surgeon. You may also want to see a hair-loss expert if the problem persists. Good luck! 
- Jacqueline T. Cheng

 There has been reports of a connection between hair loss and general anesthesia, however, usually it is temporary and grows back in time. Some patients may experience hair loss at the incision site due to physical shock. Some patients may experience psychological stress due to the surgery which can cause hair loss. General anesthesia itself may cause a shock to the body that can result in hair loss. These are usually temporary. Local anesthesia, properly administered, is not known to cause hair loss.Hope this helps,Ali Rıza Öreroğlu, MD FEBOPRASEuropean and Turkish Board Certified Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonIstanbul, Turkey

General anesthesia can someties cause a "shock" to your system which can result in hair loss (alopecia). ou should see a hair loss specialist as soon as possible. There a several things you can do to speed up the process of hair regrowth. But it will take 3-6 months so be patient.

There are multiple causes for hair loss in a facelift patient.  First of all, general anesthesia can cause hair loss (reported in medical literature and have witnessed it myself) but it is rare and typically comes back.  Local anesthesia can induce shock loss to normal hairs if placed in excessive amounts.  Surgery itself can cause alopecia by a variety of factors including excessive tension (poor blood supply), overly tight sutures or staples, and surgeon directly removing hair.  Seek advice from either a hair expert or face expert or someone who is both.  Best Dr. Anil Shah

There is not much in the literature that states that anesthesia can cause hair loss. However, it is possible that the stress of surgery, in its many forms, can potentially cause hair loss. If the hair loss is along incisions, this is likely from the physical trauma of the surgery.

Hair loss post facelift surgery can occur in rare cases.  This might be due inflammatory response, I have experienced it with patient going under general anesthesia but not local anesthesia.  I have performed well over 3,500 facelifts using local anesthesia and twilight sedation for the past 15 years. Without a 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 and post operative pain 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.  My patients do not experience any pain during or after surgery.  Tylenol normally is sufficient for pain management.  

Hello! Anesthesia does not typically cause profuse hair loss but stress associated with surgery sometimes can. Additionally, a number of other factors such as hormones, thyroid issues and nutritional status can impact hair loss. I recommend you discuss this with your PCP but don't rule out future surgery- find the cause in an attempt to avoid it. Facelifts can be done easily under a twilight anesthesia as well.

Local anesthesia should not cause hair loss and neither should IV sedation. With General Anesthesia the hair follicles may enter a dormant phase but will re-grow afterwards. The stress of the procedure and trauma to the follicles is the most likely cause of the loss. Other than the trauma to the follicles the hair loss should be temporary.

I am so sorry to hear that you are experiencing this. I suspect that the hair loss was probably not from the anesthesia itself, but probably from the stress of surgery and recovery. Typically, the hair recovers over several months and gross back. I suggest talking to an experienced hair restoration surgeon for further evaluation.