Is General Anesthesia Absolutely Necessary for Cheekbone Surgery in Facial Contouring? - Explained by a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon

Hello. I’m Director Jo Hyun-woo of 입체성형외과.

Today, I’d like to talk about anesthesia.

"Do you have to undergo general anesthesia for facial contouring surgery?"

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General anesthesia refers to a state in which, no matter how much stimulation is applied, you do not wake up and breathing stops.

For that reason, rather than simple procedures, high-difficulty surgeries—such as those involving bleeding or bone removal—are usually performed under general anesthesia.

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In the case of facial contouring surgery, general anesthesia is used in most cases because it is a procedure that removes bone.

Since general anesthesia usually means being in a state without breathing, many people have a strong fear of it.

However, in many hospitals, surgery is performed under general anesthesia with patient safety in mind, and it helps reduce surgical pain and discomfort.

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Procedures performed under general anesthesia usually require fasting for about 12 hours before surgery, and procedures performed under sedation anesthesia require fasting for about 8 hours.

As an exception, there are some facial contouring surgeries that are performed under sedation anesthesia rather than general anesthesia.

One example is the 230-degree three-dimensional cheekbone reduction surgery performed at 우리 입체성형외과.

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Unlike general cheekbone reduction surgery, the 230-degree three-dimensional cheekbone reduction surgery is performed through an incision in the scalp, so the surgery can be carried out while sufficiently monitoring the patient’s breathing under sedation anesthesia.

In particular, because the surgery time is shorter than other facial contouring surgeries, if you want to reduce your cheekbones but feel burdened by general anesthesia, it is possible to proceed with surgery through the 230-degree cheekbone reduction surgery.

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230-degree three-dimensional cheekbone reduction surgery, chin shaving (left) before surgery (right) after surgery

This patient wanted to reduce both the side cheekbones and the 45-degree cheekbones, and because they were concerned about general anesthesia, the procedure was performed as a 230-degree three-dimensional cheekbone reduction surgery.

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For those who visit 입체성형외과 for consultations, we provide sufficient advance explanations about both general anesthesia and sedation anesthesia.

Because an anesthesiology specialist is on site, you do not need to feel burdened about the surgery.

Since surgical methods and anesthesia methods differ depending on facial shape, for safe surgery and to prevent complications, it is best to proceed after consulting with a specialist in advance.

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3D cheekbone reduction surgery, square jaw reduction surgery (left) before surgery (right) after surgery

When performing facial contouring surgery, general anesthesia is by no means a dangerous method; it is a procedure carried out with the patient’s safety as the top priority.

Therefore, you can think of it as surgery performed after general anesthesia.

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At 입체성형외과, we carefully analyze the condition of the patient’s bones through 3D CT scans, and a precise diagnosis is made regarding which surgery is needed.

For a highly satisfying surgical result, it is important to accurately understand your own bone development and choose the surgical method that suits you.

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Thank you.

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