Twilight sedation facelift involves placing and IV, and administering medications to make the patient sleepy and comfortable (reduced pain sensation), and is an excellent fit for facelift surgery. As part of the procedure, I inject local anesthetic under the skin to numb the entire face and neck.
With twilight anesthesia a patient is sedated but remains conscious in what's commonly referred to as a “twilight state”. The patient is sleepy but still responsive and able to follow direction or communicate with their surgeon.
The most dramatic yet natural-looking results occur with a full SMAS facelift with the incisions on either side of the face beginning at the temple and extending down and around the ear to the lower scalp. These incisions are well hidden within the hairline.
The sedative allows the patient to fall into a deep state of mental and physical calm though they never become entirely unconscious. This means that they can sense pressure and movement but no pain in the area where local sedation was administered. Twilight sedation can also be referred to as local with sedation.
The deep plane facelift is generally considered the most comprehensive and long lasting type of facelift. This facelift involves the layer of muscles under your facial skin. These muscles are responsible for much of the drooping or sagging you may experience in your face as you age.
A facelift is not generally for anyone under the age of 30. In most cases, a facelift works best for people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s when signs of aging begin to become prevalent.
“Under twilight sedation, your body is awake but your mind isn't,” says Dr. Buckspan. “You're breathing, swallowing, coughing, sneezing—only you aren't aware of anything that's going on and can't feel any pain or discomfort.” Many patients tend to fall asleep once the medication kicks in.
Contact lenses, jewelry, and dentures must be removed at the time of surgery. Do not wear lipstick, excessive makeup, or nail polish on the day of surgery. If you have an illness such as a cold, sore throat, stomach or bowel upset, please notify the office.
IV sedation works quickly, with most people falling asleep in roughly 15 to 30 minutes after it's been administered. Once the IV sedation is removed, you will begin to wake up in about 20 minutes and be fully recovered from all sedative effects within six hours.
Most people who have facelifts are in their 40s, 50s, and 60, which is when facial aging becomes more apparent. Deep wrinkles, lines, and sagging skin happen with aging as the skin's collagen production drops.
In some cases a facelift can be done early in life but, in most cases, a facelift works best for people who are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, when the signs of aging begin to appear more prominently on your face. Those deep lines, wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin you see are indicators of the aging process.
Intravenous Sedation (“Twilight Sedation”)
Intravenous Sedation or “twilight sleep” helps you to be comfortable and calm when undergoing dental procedures. Your treatment can be completed for you under intravenous sedation, if you so desire.
Nitrous Oxide and Dental Gas Sedation:
Nitrous Oxide is also called laughing gas. They are both forms of “twilight sedation.” Twilight can be used in cases where there is mild to moderate dental anxiety. The cost of nitrous oxide is usually $100-$150 for the first hour and $25 – $50 per 15 minute increment thereafter.
Patients can breathe on their own while under twilight anesthesia so use of a ventilator is not required. Additionally, since the drugs used for twilight are administered in lower doses there is a decreased risk of any unwanted side effects. Lastly, the twilight method is lower in cost compared to general anesthesia.
Drinking 500 mL (2 cups) of clear apple juice or cranberry cocktail 3 hours before your Surgery Time is called carbohydrate loading (carb loading). Carb loading helps your body have enough energy to get through the physical stress of surgery. The extra energy helps you begin your recovery immediately after surgery.
Midazolam injection is used to produce sleepiness or drowsiness and relieve anxiety before surgery or certain procedures. When midazolam is used before surgery, the patient will not remember some of the details about the procedure.
The sedation is to promote comfort to the patient, but will make the patient groggy for several hours and slow reflexes for up to 12 hours. This is why you cannot drive your car or perform activities that require quick reflexes until the following morning.
Patients who receive conscious sedation are usually able to speak and respond to verbal cues throughout the procedure, communicating any discomfort they may experience to the provider. A brief period of amnesia may erase any memory of the procedures.
Can Someone Be “Too Old” for a Facelift? There is no age at which an individual is too old for any cosmetic enhancement, so long as they are healthy enough to undergo the rigors of surgery, anesthesia and recovery from the procedure.
A facelift is certainly the best cosmetic surgery to erase wrinkles off your face. Dermal Fillers and Anti Wrinkle Injections can also help with looking younger.
Technically, there is no limit or “magic number” when it comes to how many facelifts can be performed. But as we mentioned, we want to make sure your results remain as natural as possible. Too many surgeries can make your face appear “pulled” or “worked on,” which is not always desirable.
When it comes to treating jowls, injectable options like dermal fillers are ideal for restoring facial volume, while ultrasound treatments like Ultherapy are effective when it comes to stimulating the growth of new collagen supplies to directly reduce the sagging effect of jowls.