When you think of local anesthesia, you might think of dental work or minor procedures, like biopsies and getting stitches, where you’re awake but not feeling any pain. But a facelift or neck lift under local anesthesia? As questionable as it sounds, these days, the answer is, increasingly, yes.

It’s a trend that has evolved over the past decade or so, and one that’s catching on with patients, who are enamored with the many benefits of having surgery under local anesthesia—including that it’s less scary, physically taxing, and costly and it may even result in better cosmetic outcomes.