The type of anesthesia used during rhinoplasty depends on what is being done. If is a small change, you may use just local anesthesia. Meaning, you will inject a local anesthetic, that is, you numbing fluid will be injected into the exact local area that you are working on. Sometimes, regional anesthesia can help. That means that you inject a nerve where the region the nerve controls or innervates is numbed from the local numbing anesthesia to numb the region. When the procedure that you are doing is more extensive, it could require local, regional anesthesia and then systemic anesthesia which is done throug either gases that are inhaled and anesthesia that are made from fluids that are injected into your veins to create a whole body anesthesia. I have done rhinoplasty under just local; with local and iv sedation; and local and general anesthesia. I do most of my rhinoplasties under iv (intravenous) sedation, with local and regional anesthesia. With Iv sedation, I get my patients very relaxed so that they don’t remember a thing after the procedure. The less extensive the procedure, the less anesthesia. The more extensive the more anesthesia you will need. Also it depends on your tolerance as well. If you are really afraid of needles, and the whole thing you will need more anesthesia compared to other people. Here is a video on rhinoplasty done under intravenous (iv, through your veins) sedation.
Thanks for reading, Dr Young
Dr Young specializes in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington