I Want to Have a Neck Lift but Afraid of Anesthesia. How Dangerous Is It?

We use IV sedation anesthesia, which is a very safe and effective method of anesthesia for facial plastic surgery and rhinoplasty. IV sedation anesthesia is extremely safe compared to the standard general anesthesia techniques used today. The main advantages of IV sedation anesthesia are: (i) it does not require putting a breathing tube in the throat, (ii) it does not require a breathing machine, (iii) the recovery is much faster, (iv) there is much less "hang-over" from anesthesia, (v) and there is much less nausea. All these elements translate into greater comfort and safety. We have used this technique of anesthesia in several thousand plastic surgery procedures without any anesthetic complications.

During IV sedation anesthesia a small flexible IV (intravenous) needle is placed into one of the veins of the back of the hand. Through this IV line, relaxing medication is given to make you fall sleep. The amount of medication given is adjusted to the specific needs of each person. After you are sleeping, some numbing medicine is also placed in the skin to numb the area that is being operated on. The beauty of IV sedation anesthesia is that during the procedure you are unaware of anything going on and cannot hear anything, yet you are still breathing on your own.

When the procedure is finished, the relaxing medication is discontinued and you begin to wake up. Because the medications used in IV sedation anesthesia clear the system rather quickly, most of our patients are able to go home in less than 30 minutes after the procedure is completed.

It's best to begin by consulting with a surgeon in-person. The presence of banding down the front of the #neck, and, amount of excess skin and condition of your skin are among some factors which determine what treatments will best rejuvenate your neck . During your initial examination, your chin will be evaluated along with the neck and jawline. A weak #chin implies a lack of chin support for the skin along the neck line. In younger individuals a chin implant alone is usually all that is needed to improve the appearance of the neck. Subsequently, it will also improve the overall #balance of the face and can create the illusion of a smaller nose. As a stand-alone procedure, chin augmentation can be performed in the office under local #anesthesia. For individuals with signs of #aging in the neck, a chin implant added to one of the recommended procedures above, will provide optimal results.
Local
#anesthetic is usually used in combination with intravenous anesthesia during a
necklift operation, allowing you to sleep peacefully through the
procedure.  Though general anesthesia may
be requested, it is not necessary in most cases.  A necklift and any additional procedures you
may add on are outpatient procedures usually performed in a surgery
center.  In some cases your surgeon may
advise you to stay in a post-op care facility for a single night.  If you are not a candidate at the time of your #consultation, your board certified plastic surgeon can recommend non-surgical alternatives to address your concern. Consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in #neck lift procedures is important to ensure you are receiving the best advice, care, and surgical experience possible.

Thank you for your question.  Neck Lift can be performed under local anaesthetic, giving the same longevity and results however meaning a significantly faster recovery time.  Local anaesthetic having minimal health risks compared to general anaesthetic.  There will be no dressing or drains afterward.  This is performed as a day case, walk-in walk-out procedure with minimal bruising and downtime.  This procedure if often combined with facelift, eyelid surgery, cheek lift etc.

Please find a reputable and qualified surgeon who can assess you properly to give you a realistic idea of what outcome you can achieve. 

All The Best

Great question, because it is one of the most frequently asked by patients in my practice.  Anesthesia was developed as a means of pain control (analgesia), anxiety management (anxiolysis), and a prevention of memories of the event (amnesia).  In my practice, a necklift is performed under intravenous sedation, allowing for rapid onset and rapid offset of the effects of anesthesia, with little or no nausea (no postoperative nausea for the last 3.5 years).  For healthy patients, IV sedation is extremely safe, and my patients (even those who are nervous about anesthesia) really appreciate it.

All surgical procedures carry some risks, though low. If you are a healthy and active patient with no significant medical issues you likely will be a good candidate. If you are over 50 I would recommend you get preoperative clearance by your primary MD. If you are over 40 with some medical issues then see one.  Consider less aggressive in office procedures under local anesthetic if you are really worried. Good luck.

It is completely understandable that you are afraid of the implications of anesthesia during your neck lift. In fact, this is a very common concern among patients considering any type of surgery. Rest assured, however, that the risks that accompany anesthesia are rare so long as you provide your doctor with a full report of your medical history and of any medications you are taking. Also, in many cases, a prominent plastic surgeon will work alongside a certified anesthesiologist who is present to administer the anesthesia and to monitor your body’s reaction throughout the entire surgery. Try not to work yourself up over the possibility of complication, as anesthesia is primarily intended to ease the discomfort associated with your surgery and a neck lift could provide you with great aesthetic results. Also, you could consider the use of just local anesthesia if that appeals to you. Discuss this option with your facial plastic surgeon.

Neck lift surgery does require some form
of anaesthesia, there are three principal types of anaesthesia - local,
sedative anaesthesia and general anaesthesia.

Local
anaesthesia
involves injecting numbing medicine at the area to be operated on. The face is
a sensitive are of the face, and local anaesthesia along is not usually
sufficient for neck lift surgery.

Sedative
anaesthesia
also known as twilight anaesthesia means an anaesthesiologist gives you some
medications that make you sleep during the surgery. Dr. De Silva offers sedation
anaesthesia for neck lift surgery, which ensures a comfortable experience, as
patients have a rapid recovery and go home approximately thirty minutes after the
surgery with an escort or chaperone. Patients generally prefer sedation to
general anaesthesia as there is less nausea, sickness and tiredness after
sedation anaesthesia

General
anaesthesia means
that the patient is completely unconscious, requires a breathing tube and the
recovery is slower taking a minimum of 4-6 hours. For neck lift surgery,
general anaesthesia is safe, effective and commonly used. In some patients
general anaesthesia may not be the best option if you have existing medical
conditions.

You don't need general anesthesia for a neck lift. You could just have intravenous anesthesia and even sometimes oral sedation.  Oral sedation is a little extreme because you will be more aware but it is done quite a lot over the country. Intravenous, or IV, sedation is my choice.  It is safer than general with much less risk. 
 

Thank you for the question.

Assuming you're in good health (and/or obtain medical clearance from your internist  for the procedure)  and are working with board certified surgeon and anesthesiologist,  the risks  of general  anesthesia  our relatively small. Please make sure the procedures done in a fully accredited facility as well.

Having tolerated anesthesia in the past is also a good indication that you will  likely do very well.

I hope this helps.

The fear of general anesthesia is a very common one.  For a neck lift or lower facelift there is no need to have general anesthesia however.   A neck lift or a lower facelift that deals with the neck and jowls can easily be done under local anesthesia or twilight anesthesia.  With these methods, tumescent anesthesia or local anesthesia mixed with saline is used.  This has the advantage of eliminating immediate postoperative pain.  When you have little no pain right after surgery you post-operative pain requirements are much less and you normally do not need any narcotics.  In addition, the swelling and bruising are reduced so that your down time is also reduced. 







Seek out a surgeon in your area that uses these techniques and you will not have to worry about general anesthesia, you will have a reduced complications or risks and you will have the same great result, getting rid of that saggy neck you do not like.







I hope that helps and if it does please give it and up vote at the top right by "report".  Thanks.







Best regards.