Facelift

  The facelift is one of the most recognized plastic surgical procedures. There are a variety of reasons why a person elects to undergo this procedure. We most frequently hear that "I want to look as good as I feel". Each individual wears age in a manner uniquely their own. The overall condition of your face and neck, as with the rest of your body, depends on multiple factors. These include familial tendencies and environmental factors. Age, weight change, heredity, and skin damage from overexposure to the sun and wind all contribute to external facial aging. As the skin loses its elasticity, the forces of gravity cause the skin to sag and wrinkle.

A facelift removes excess skin and fat, tightens the underlying facial muscles, and redrapes the skin of the face and neck. The facelift procedure alone will not generally diminish any wrinkling around the lips, forehead or eyelids. These other areas may require additional procedures that are frequently performed at the time of a facelift. These include eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), endoscopic brow lift, resurfacing laser, and chemical peels.

In the facelift, incisions are typically made just above the ear and then taken inside the middle third of the ear and behind the protruding cartilage at the front of the ear called the tragus. This helps to hide the incision and make it less noticeable. The incision then continues around the earlobe and behind the ear. Working on one side of the face at a time the facial skin is separated from the underlying fat and muscle. These underlying structures become the foundation for the new face. They are reshaped and tightened into a more youthful position and then the skin is gently redraped and the excess is removed.

A facelift operation is typically performed as an outpatient with a possible overnight stay. General anesthesia is usually preferred. A facelift operation can last 4 - 6 hours depending upon how much tightening and lifting needs to be done. All facelifts are individually tailored to correct those features that are unique to each individual.

All operations have some associated risks. These risks will be discussed in detail at the time of your consultation. In general the risks include swelling, bruising, bleeding, infection, scarring and numbness. Also included as a risk is damage to the facial nerve. This nerve controls the muscles of the face and extreme caution is always used to avoid injury.

Sutures in front of the ears are typically removed after 5 - 7 days. There will typically be some degree of swelling and bruising following surgery. Usually cool compresses are applied following the procedure to decrease the amount of swelling.

Important information about facelift surgery

Location: Office or Outpatient Surgical Procedure

Anesthesia: General anesthesia usually preferred

Length Of Surgery: Four to six hours depending upon the extent of the surgery

Additional Procedures: Blepharoplasty, Laser resurfacing, Endoscopic brow lift, chemical peel

Recovery: Usually ready to return to work in 7 - 10 days with make up