If you’re interested in a facelift surgery, finding a surgeon with experience with this procedure is important. Be sure to ask about their surgical techniques and view before-and-after pictures of previous patients.
It’s also important to plan for your surgery, so arrange help with chores and daily tasks. You’ll need someone to drive you home and take care of you while you recover.
What is a facelift Surgery?
A facelift surgery in LA, also known as rhytidectomy, is a cosmetic surgical procedure that tightens and repositions the skin of your neck and jawline. It can eliminate loose or sagging skin, remove excess fat, and restore youthful contours to your jawline, chin, and cheeks. The surgeon makes incisions to access the facial tissues and muscles. Then, the surgeon repositions and trims the tissue and power to give the face a more natural appearance. The incisions are then sewn, stapled, or taped closed.
The surgeon uses non-absorbable medical polypropylene threads that have been safely used in surgery for years. These threads are inserted through tiny puncture sites to help tighten the skin and muscles. This results in a natural look with little evidence that you underwent treatment.
The best candidates for a facelift are men and women in their 40s or 50s whose facial skin has lost elasticity due to the natural aging process or substantial weight loss. However, a facelift is not designed to stop or reverse aging or treat superficial wrinkles or sun damage.
What are the benefits of a facelift Surgery?
A facelift can help reduce sagging facial skin, deep creases or wrinkles between the nose and mouth, loose or excess fat in the neck area, and a double chin. It can also tighten the neck muscles and improve jawline definition.
Unlike older, less-sophisticated facelift techniques, which focus only on tightening skin, modern surgical approaches reposition the underlying facial structures to a younger configuration before addressing the face’s superficial layer. This provides a more natural-looking appearance and better results.
Men with a facelift can reap the same benefits as women. Still, the procedure is especially popular among older men who want to delay or reduce the onset of aging signs—performing the process earlier rather than later can allow patients to enjoy their results longer and may prevent the need for a more extensive surgical procedure.
Many men and women considering a facelift are worried that they will look “windblown” or unrecognizable. During the initial consultation, Dr. Rose takes great care to listen to his patient’s concerns and goals. He works tirelessly to achieve youthful, natural-looking results that help you look like a better version of yourself, not a different person.
What are the risks of a facelift?
Facelifts are not without risk, but there are ways to minimize the risks. Before scheduling any procedure, consult a qualified plastic surgeon and discuss your expectations. Even if your facial skin is surgically reshaped, it will not stop aging.
Follow your surgeon’s instructions before and after the surgery to reduce the risk of complications. Avoiding substances that interfere with blood clotting and following the correct recovery schedule is important. After surgery, contact your doctor immediately if you have severe pain, swelling, or bruising.
Other potential complications include damage to facial nerves or incisions. The incisions made during a facelift are concealed in natural lines and creases of the skin, so they are typically hard to see once healed. Those with certain medical conditions such as easy scarring, high blood pressure or heart problems may be ineligible for a facelift. In addition, smokers are at greater risk for complications and will require more time to heal than non-smokers.
How long will it take to recover from a facelift?
The facelift recovery process varies by patient, and following your surgeon’s post-surgical plan is important. You’ll want to avoid heavy lifting or strenuous exercise until at least a month after surgery.
During the first week following your facelift, you may experience lingering swelling and bruising. This is normal and can be helped by using cold compresses on your skin a few times daily. These will encourage vasoconstriction, which helps reduce bruising and swelling.
For the two weeks following your procedure, you’ll also want to sleep with your head elevated on pillows to help reduce inflammation. This is important because it can help prevent fluid buildup and tissue damage, which could delay healing.
During this time, drinking plenty of water and consuming a healthy diet is also recommended. This can help your body recover faster and promote a more even skin tone after your facelift. This is because your body will be able to produce more collagen, which can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles around the face and neck.
What are the results of a facelift?
A well-performed facelift provides flattering, natural-looking results. While older techniques often produced tight skin that screamed “operated,” modern methods ensure that patients look like their younger selves. Additionally, surgical skill provides that scarring is virtually undetectable once healed.
Swelling and bruising should begin to fade by the end of the first week after surgery. You may still be able to see incision marks around your hairline and jawline, but they should gradually disappear with time.
Over-the-counter and prescription creams can help a little with sagging neck skin, but there comes a point when they become ineffective and won’t counter collagen loss or the effects of a lifetime of sun exposure. Facelift surgery eliminates loose skin and fatty tissue, tightening facial muscles and tissues for a firmer appearance and smoothing fine lines and wrinkles.
The results of a facelift will last for seven to 10 years, though genetics and other factors can influence longevity. Healthy lifestyle habits can also prolong the effects, such as avoiding excessive sun exposure and smoking, eating a balanced diet and getting adequate exercise.