Everything you need to know about Face Lift

A facelift is a procedure in cosmetic surgery which aims to give you a more youthful appearance to the face.

It reshapes the lower half of the face by removing excess facial skin. Facelift can tighten loose, hanging skin around the jaw line. It can also remove deep creases around the mouth and nose and excess hanging skin and fat under the chin and in the neck.

What is a facelift?

Facelift surgery is usually done as an outpatient procedure. It may involve a local anesthetics and sedatives or general anesthesia.

The procedure can taken from 2 to 5 hours, and the person can normally go home on the same day after surgery.

In a traditional facelift, the surgeon makes an incision in front of the ear, extending up into the hair or hairline as well behind the ear into the hair-bearing scalp.

The surgeon lifts the skin off the deeper facial muscles and fat, gently pulls the skin in an upward and posterior direction and removes the excess skin. They may tighten the deeper tissues of the face.

A small incision, or cut, may be made under the chin to tighten the skin and deeper tissue of the neck. This is known as a neck lift.

The incisions are then closed with sutures and possibly staples. A drain may be placed under the skin behind the ear for one or two days, to remove any excess blood and fluids. Bandages are applied to the area.

What to expect

Before surgery, the plastic surgeon will review the patient’s medical history. They will look at:

• Blood pressure
• Blood clotting
• Medications
• Cigarette smoking
• Drug use
• Allergies
• Scarring
• Skin condition

The doctor and patient will discuss what the surgery will involve, where it will take place, the type of anesthesia used, the recovery, and potential complications that may develop.

They should also examine the goals and expectations of the surgery, according to the skin type and bone structure.

Is it worth it?

A facelift aims to create a smoother, more youthful appearance.

The procedure removes and tightens sagging skin, reduces the droop of the cheeks around the jaw line, lifts the corners of the mouth and reduces the creases between the check and the lips.

Since the incisions are made under the ear they are not usually noticeable.

However, there are certain disadvantages of face lift:

A facelift does not last forever.

Research suggest that five and a half years after surgery, 21 percent of facelifts relapse, but that 76 percent of people still look younger that they did before the operation.

In men, it can be harder to achieve a natural appearance after surgery, because they have hair in front of their ears, or sideburn. If the sideburn are pulled backward and upward, this can look odd.

In both men and women, a facelift can lead to distorted earlobes.

If too much skin is removed, the face can look pulled-back or startled.

For the best results, a person may need additional procedures, such as a neck lift, eyelid surgery, liposuction, fat injection, removal of cheek fat, forehead lift, brow lift, chemical or laser peel and cheek and chin implants.

Recovery

Most patients experience some discomfort, but medication can relieve tenderness. Bruising and swelling will be at their worst after 2 days, and they can persist of a few days. Recovery normally takes around 2 weeks, and vigorous activity can resume after 4 weeks. Sutures are removed after 5 to 10 days after surgery.

Incisions and bandages must be kept dry, and the patient should follow the specific instructions about bathing and washing. It is important to follow the doctor’s instructions, as this will speed the healing process and allow for the best possible result. Numbness and muscle stiffness is normal for some time. Scars can take nearly a year to fade and tone down.