Anesthesia for plastic surgery is used to keep you comfortable and pain-free during the procedure. Your surgeon may use local anesthesia with a sedative, which means you are awake but relaxed and should feel little discomfort. In some cases, your surgeon may recommend general anesthesia, which means you sleep through the entire operation.

It also helps to know that anesthesia and surgery are not risk-free. The anesthesia team looks at your medical history, medicines, and past anesthesia experience before surgery to help choose the safest plan and watch for problems during and after the procedure. Some health factors can raise risk, including obesity, smoking, sleep apnea, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, kidney problems, high blood pressure, and some neurologic conditions.

Before surgery, follow the preparation steps you are given, including fasting instructions and sharing your full medical history, allergies, and medicines. Careful preparation helps make the procedure safer and recovery smoother. Verify the exact plan with your surgical or anesthesia team in case they want something different for you.