The Benefits of “Keeping It Local”: Most Facelifts Don’t Require General Anesthesia

When it comes to facial rejuvenation, Dr. John Q. Cook is clear about what works best: facelift surgery. As a Chicago-based plastic surgeon, Dr. Cook sees the benefit of wrinkle relaxers, fillers, and “tightening gadgets,” as he calls them, but none of these minimally invasive options can duplicate the effects of surgical tightening and lifting.

So why do some people still hesitate when they are considering a facelift?

Dr. Cook explains that many patients may want the effects of a facelift, but be wary of general anesthesia. While this type of sedation may be helpful for select cases, the Whole Beauty^® Institute team has found that it’s not needed for a large majority of facelift patients. In fact, the practice has evolved from routinely using general anesthesia for facelift surgery to Dr. Cook performing 95% of his facelifts using only a local anesthetic.

Everything else about the surgery is the same. Dr. Cook still makes all of the necessary incisions, repositions and removes tissue, and closes the incisions as always. The only difference is that there are no downsides related to sedation.

Using a local anesthetic means the patient can eat breakfast the morning of the surgery, whereas this would be a risk with general anesthesia. Recovery is a smoother process, with reduced nausea—or no nausea at all. Anyone who has ever been sedated likely remembers the unpleasant feeling accompanying the hours after waking up as the anesthetic left their system.

From a risk perspective, local anesthesia is a safer alternative for all patients.

With all of this in mind, it’s clear why Dr. Cook prefers this approach and recommends facelift under local anesthesia to his patients. The choice of anesthetic is only one factor to consider when assessing the best surgical technique for each patient. This is why Dr. Cook spends considerable time with each prospective patient during their consultation. He answers all patient questions, as well as asks insightful questions of his own to determine the best approach for achieving their desired cosmetic goals. The overall patient experience—including safety and results—is always at top of mind.