SerpApi.Org
Beauty and wellness influencer Elaine Manthei is sharing one surprising detail about her facelift: she stayed awake during the invasive cosmetic procedure.
In a video posted to her Instagram, Manthei explained why she chose to forgo general anesthesia and what it was like chatting with her surgeon throughout the operation.
“I was awake during a recent facelift,” she says in the post. “I had heard you heal a little bit faster if you are awake, and why get put under general anesthesia if you don’t have to?”
The 52-year-old mom of seven added that, although she wasn’t placed under general anesthesia, she was prescribed “a bunch of Xanax” to help her relax.
Despite taking the medication, Manthei says she remained fully awake throughout the procedure, even offering commentary while the surgery was underway.
“I was awake chatting,” she says. “My doctor was like, ‘Aren’t you tired?’”
Manthei said she felt the surgeon, whom she does not name, pull at her skin.
“This is my bad side. Be sure you pull that one extra tight,” she recalled telling him.
According to the influencer, her surgeon was not keen to receive live feedback, replying, “You need to be quiet.”
During a follow-up appointment, Manthei and her surgeon also discussed ways to help maintain her results.
“One of the things we discovered was that I had a lack of collagen,” she said in the video. Her doctor recommended incorporating collagen-building skincare into her routine to help further address the laxity in her lower face.
In another video posted to her TikTok account, she revealed she also underwent a CO2 laser to help further “tighten things up.”
There is research suggesting that staying awake during a deep plane facelift may help reduce recovery time and promote easier pain management.
While uncommon, some plastic surgeons perform so-called “awake facelifts,” which typically use local anesthesia for numbing combined with oral or IV sedation to help the patient relax.
This technique, akin to the “twilight sedation” used in minor procedures like endoscopies and tooth extractions, helps keep patients comfortable while avoiding the risks associated with general anesthesia.
