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Facelifts improve the sagging or bagging often
seen beginning in the fourth decade of life, around the mouth, jaw line
and neck. The best way to appreciate what a facelift will do for you is
to lay on your back while holding a mirror over your face, noticing the
changes seen in these areas. Incisions are placed in conspicuous areas
in the hairline and around the ear allowing the surgeon to lift and suspend
the structures in the face, restoring a more youthful jawline and neck.
Many times a separate incision is placed underneath the chin to remove
unwanted fatty tissue of skin while strengthening muscles and ligaments,
improving the canopy of the chin and neck area.
The procedure is performed in an outpatient setting under anesthesia, utilizing IV medications while keeping the patient pain-free and in a twilight sleep. Procedures last anywhere from three to five hours depending on additional techniques selected, such as eyelid tucks or laser procedures. A protective and secured dressing is applied and removed the next day after the patient has slept in their own bed. A lighter more comfortable dressing is applied for one more day and afterwards, the patient is allowed to wash their hair and apply makeup to areas of bruising. Most sutures are removed in seven to ten days and afterwards, a return to work or normal routine is allowable. For more confidentiality, approximately two weeks is required to allow bruising and swelling to subside.
A facelift lasts forever, but as the skin and tissues continue to age the signs may return in eight to twelve years. However, if no further surgery is done, your face will always look younger than if the operation had never been performed. This frequently requested cosmetic procedure can give you a fresh new start.
Most comments from our patients, friends, and family are that they look rested, and the most frequently asked question is if they have lost weight due to the improved jaw and neck line. Sometimes coupled with lifting of the upper third of the face through an endoscopic brow lift, more dramatic results can be seen if hooding of the brows and deep frown lines are apparent. The newer deep plane facelift is designed to lift and tighten the deep underlying tissue and muscles of the face and neck rather than pulling the new lying skin only for this improvement. This allows the surgeon to avoid a pulled or too tight appearance, which stretches back much more rapidly. By relying upon deeper tissues for the lift, less tension is placed on the closure, yielding less conspicuous scars. Exact placement of incisions around the ears and hairlines will vary from patient to patient (even from men to women) and will be discussed with your surgeon.
