Anaesthesia/Analgesia for Procedures

Quick Facts

• At The Victorian Cosmetic Institute, our goals are to minimise any discomfort from the procedures performed
• The level of anaesthetic/analgesic used will depend on the type of procedure performed
• We commonly use ice, local anaesthetic creams/injections, anaesthetic gas (nitrous oxide), and oral medications as forms of anaesthetic/analgesics.

Why is anaesthesia/analgesia important for cosmetic procedures?

As most of the procedures performed at The Victorian Cosmetic Institute are elective, it is important to us that you feel little or no discomfort during your procedures.

Appropriate anaesthesia/analgesia will also ensure that you have a positive experience from your visit, and increase the likelihood of having the procedure again if required.

What types of anaesthesia/analgesia are there?

Anaesthesia is defined as the entire loss, partial loss or absence of feeling or sensation. There are varying forms of anaesthesia;
General anaesthesia - where complete consciousness is lost as well as loss of airway control, as used in hospital surgical procedures (we do not use general anaesthesia at The Victorian Cosmetic Institute, as our procedures are all non-surgical)
Sedation - where there is partial consciousness, but no loss of airway control. At The Victorian Cosmetic Institute, we may use some oral  (ie tablets) sedation or analgesics prior to treatments.
Local anaesthesia - which is injected into an area to cause a local area of numbness/anaesthesia. We commonly perform local anaesthetic nerve blocks which, if done properly, are not painful, and can help to completely numb a certain area e.g the lips for lip enhancement.

Analgesia is the deadening or absence of a sense of pain without loss of consciousness.  Analgesia can be in the form of oral analgesia such as paracetamol, or injectable forms of analagesia.

Many of the medications used for anaesthesia have some analgesic properties and vice versa.

What types of anaesthesia/analgesia are used for non-surgical procedures?

Non-surgical procedures such as anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, deeper chemical peels, Lipodissolve, laser treatments, skin needling and plasma skin regeneration are all performed in our clinics. Therefore, a general anaesthetic is not required as this is excessive for these non-surgical procedures. Instead, the following modalities of anaesthesia/analgesia are used ;

Ice – Both pain and temperature sensation travel in the same nerve pathway. If this nerve pathway is overloaded by the cold sensation of ice, pain is less likely to be felt in the same area. For example, your hands tend to feel numb when then are very cold. Ice can be used on the skin prior to anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers in particular.

Local anaesthetic cream – Local anaesthetic creams can be used on the skin to help to numb the skin prior to any injections. Again this can be used for anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, prior to laser treatments, and prior to the use of local anaesthetic injections.

Local anaesthetic injections – Local anaesthetic injections can be used to numb a certain area. They can be injected directly into the skin, or around a nerve to block sensations of the areas of skin/tissue supplied by that nerve. Local anaesthetic injections are effective, but their application can cause some discomfort. Usually, these local anaesthetic injections are used when they are less painful than the actual procedure would be without them. Local anaesthetic cream or anaesthetic gas can be used prior to local anaesthetic injections to reduce the discomfort of the local anaesthetic injections. Local anaesthetic injections are commonly used prior to the application of dermal fillers, laser tattoo removal, skin needling, and plasma skin regeneration.

Inhaled anaesthetic gas – this can be used in the out-of-hospital setting to achieve a level of anaesthesia/analgesia that is suitable for minor procedures. An example is nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’ , and this is also commonly used for dental procedures or during labour. At The Victorian Cosmetic Institute, we use inhaled anaesthetic gas for anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, laser treatments, prior to local anaesthetic injections, skin needling, and plasma skin regeneration. The anaesthetic gases used tend to wear off very quickly, so that their effect will not linger after the completion of the procedure.

Oral analgesics/sedatives – can be used for the more invasive cosmetic procedures such as skin needling or plasma skin regeneration. They are usually used in conjunction with other forms of analgesia/anaesthesia such as local anaesthetic injections or creams. We only use oral/tablet sedatives and these are usually taken one to two hours prior to a procedure to help reduce the anxiety and discomfort associated with procedures. Given their long-lived effect, it is not possible to drive for 24 hours after having these medications.