Awake Eyelid Surgery in Los Angeles

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Awake Blepharoplasty is an eyelid lift surgery performed in Los Angeles under local anesthesia to maximize the quality of your results and shorten your recovery. Dr. Kenneth Kim and Dream Medical Group specialize in this very delicate, highly advanced procedure.

Dr. Kim is one of the world’s leading authorities on Awake Anesthesia, an avant-garde approach to plastic surgery that diminishes downtime and leads to more appealing outcomes. Dr. Kim is also a sought-after master of multiple eyelid lift techniques, especially for our Asian clientele. If you’ve dreamt of a lighter, brighter appearance around the eyes, dream no longer! Dr. Kim and Dream Medical are known from Seoul to Southern California for performing the very best blepharoplasties.

Inquisitive minds are encouraged to visit the Dream Medical Group blog, a comprehensive hub of information regarding Dr. Kim and his progressive plastic surgery practice.

WHAT IS BLEPHAROPLASTY?

Blepharoplasty is also known as an eyelid lift, or eyelid surgery. It is an aesthetic procedure to lift and tighten droopy skin around the eyes. Blepharoplasty can have functional benefits as well. Severely sagging skin at the eyes is known as ptosis. Patients with ptosis may require an eyelid lift to improve their field of vision. For the most part, however, blepharoplasty serves a cosmetic purpose by making the eyes appear wider and more alert. By strategically removing lax and excess skin, Dr. Kim’s patients look and feel more youthful; they are better able to hold others with their sharp, engaging gaze.

Open Your Eyes to Awake Blepharoplasty

In the United States, mainstream medical opinion is finally coming around to the advantages of “Awake” procedures, like our eyelid lift under local anesthesia at Dream Medical Group in Los Angeles. Plenty of plastic surgeons may be rushing to jump on the bandwagon now, but Dr. Kim has known all along that the risk-to-reward ratio heavily favors local anesthesia over the superfluous hazards of general anesthesia, particularly for procedures like blepharoplasty.^[1] Consider a consultation with Dr. Kenneth Kim at his well-appointed offices in Beverly Hills. Dream Medical Group is the Los Angeles area’s premier location for Awake Plastic Surgery.

Contact us online to get the conversation started or call (213) 700-4297 to speak with one of our helpful representatives.

Benefits of Awake Blepharoplasty Under Local Anesthesia

Shorter recovery than traditional surgery
Less postoperative pain
No narcotics necessary to manage discomfort
Lower risk of subclinical hematoma (bleeding)
Smoother recovery means more alluring results

Qualified Candidates

Ideal candidates for our Blepharoplasty want to enliven their look by lifting and tightening excess skin around their eyelids. A severe case of drooping eyelids is known as ptosis, in medical parlance. Patients with ptosis may require an eyelid lift to improve their eyesight by removing an obstruction.

Blepharoplasty with local anesthesia while under sedation may be an attractive option for some patients because, in the hands of a skilled surgeon like Dr. Kim, the procedure has a lower rate of complications. An Awake Eyelid Lift in Los Angeles also produces more captivating outcomes because the procedure is less disruptive to the body. Patients heal faster, with less scarring and bleeding than traditional techniques.^[2]

Procedure

An awake patient can still respond and react to the doctor’s direction, even while the local anesthetic provides a painless surgical experience. This allows Dr. Kim to avoid many common mishaps, such as when lesser surgeons have been known to remove too much eyelid tissue. But in Awake Blepharoplasty, Dr. Kim can request that patient close and open their eyes during certain points of the procedure. This provides him the opportunity to check his progress and ensure only natural-looking results. Dr. Kim can gauge exactly how large he wants the eyes to open and the tension of the crease formation. He can check on the patient’s ability to close their eyes, as well.

An Awake Blepharoplasty minimizes the risks associated with a common eyelid lift. It also allows Dr. Kim to perform the procedure with greater precision, providing patients with wondrous results.

How Long Does Blepharoplasty Surgery Take?

Details may vary from patient to patient, but an eyelid lift will usually take two hours or less, depending on how involved the surgery is. In Awake Blepharoplasty, Dr. Kim and his surgical team use a pain reliever injected around the eye with oral or IV sedation, a proven approach that will hasten the patient’s recovery.

Rapid Recovery

It may seem surprising to those who are not in the know, but an Awake Blepharoplasty actually produces less pain and discomfort than if the surgery were performed under general anesthesia.^[3] Local anesthesia minimizes the strain on the body’s other systems, so you can recover more quickly from the surgical incisions. In general anesthesia, the patient’s nervous system still experiences the pain of surgery, even as they sleep. This is not so under local anesthesia, when the nerve endings in the area are numbed completely. An Awake Eyelid Lift also avoids the risks of blood clots, memory loss and heart complications, which are more common under general anesthesia.

Can I Watch TV After Blepharoplasty?

You will want to avoid straining your eyes for the first few days of your recovery. This might mean eliminating or limiting your screen time, per your doctor’s instructions. We advise you to take it easy for the first week after surgery. So, avoid restful activities that may include prolonged reading or long hours in front of the TV for approximately three days. Your recovery is an excellent time to catch up on your favorite podcasts and audiobooks.

Bewitching Eyelid Lift Results

Patients report more satisfying results when they undergo Awake Plastic Surgery. Procedures performed while under local anesthesia tend to produce less bleeding, which leads to less scar tissue, so your outcomes will be more enchanting and natural-looking.

It takes supreme surgical skill to properly perform an Awake Eyelid Lift. Because it is such an elegant procedure, there is less tissue disruption than there would be in a traditional blepharoplasty. The procedure’s simple precision produces more bewitching results.

Our Other Awake Procedures

Awake Anesthesia is an advanced approach to plastic surgery and Dream Medical Group leads the way in this innovative technique. By questioning the long-held assumptions of the American medical establishment, Dr. Kim and his fellow proponents of plastic surgery under local anesthesia have revealed that general anesthesia is not always the wisest choice. Frequently, procedures like Awake Breast Augmentation will produce better outcomes than traditional breast implant surgery, with a shorter recovery time.

If you’re interested in learning more about this paradigm-shifting approach, consider a confidential consultation with Dr. Kenneth Kim.

FAQ

Can blepharoplasty be done under local anesthesia?

Yes, a blepharoplasty (or eyelid lift) can be safely performed under local anesthesia with sedation. Check our Eyelid lift before and after page for more details. This kind of procedure is sometimes called an “Awake Blepharoplasty” because, unlike general anesthesia, which puts the patient entirely to sleep, local anesthesia only numbs the nerves at the surgical site, so the patient is conscious during surgery. The local anesthetic is usually paired with a light or deep sedation, so that the patient is relaxed and calm for the duration of the procedure.

Is blepharoplasty surgery painful?

Any pain or discomfort that one might experience during an eyelid lift can be safely and effectively managed with a local anesthetic and sedation. In fact, a local anesthetic leads to a smoother, more pain-free recovery than blepharoplasty under general anesthesia. A local anesthetic blocks the pain response at the surgical site, rather than simply placing you unconscious while your nerve endings continue to be activated. Discomfort is decreased after a so-called “Awake” procedure, too. After an Awake Blepharoplasty, patients may manage their post-operative pain with only over-the-counter ibuprofen or Tylenol.

References

Ohana, O., Ayala-Haedo, J., Anagnostopolous, A., & Lee, W. W. (2020). Local Anesthesia Injection in Upper Blepharoplasty Surgery. Dermatologic Surgery, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/dss.0000000000002718
Cao, L., & Zhu, F. (2020). Comparison of tumescent local anesthesia vs normal anesthesia technology in upper blepharoplasty in Asian women. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.13855
‌Mckee, D., & Lalonde, D. (2017). Minimal Pain Local Anesthetic Injection with Blunt Tipped Cannula for Wide Awake Upper Blepharoplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open, 5(5), e1310. https://doi.org/10.1097/gox.0000000000001310

*Results May Vary