Key Points
- It is helpful to think of the face as a continuous unit from the brow, to the midface, to the neck.
- After your operation, you will still look like you.
- We avoid the ?wind-tunnel? effect, and your face will look like a fresher, younger version of yourself.
- Bruising and discomfort are usually minimal for the extent of surgery, and most patients tolerate surgery well, even those undergoing multiple procedures.
- Facelift / Browlift Care Notes
Face Lift Surgery (Rhytidectomy)
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As we age, our skin loses its elasticity, while the facial muscles and ligaments also show stretching. This results in a gradual descent, or sag, of the facial soft tissues, leading to deep wrinkle formation, jowl formation and an overall appearance of tired, aged skin.
A facelift procedure, or rhytidectomy, may help you obtain a more rested and youthful contour. While facelifts work well in correcting facial contour, additional procedures may be necessary to correct forehead wrinkling, eyebrow droop or eyelid hooding. It is therefore not uncommon that facelifts are carried out at the same time as other procedures such as browlifts or eyelid surgery. Fine wrinkles or facial moles may also require additional treatment such as chemical peels or laser resurfacing.
There are a range of different facelifts, from the simple ?mini-lift? and ?skin-only? facelift to the deep ?subperiosteal? facelift. A popular procedure is the SMAS type facelift, which lifts the fibromuscular layer of the face. In general terms, the deeper the correction, the more long lasting the results, but this depends on the quality of the skin to begin with, as well as other lifestyle factors such as diet and smoking. Thus patients having a skin-only correction will have the least long-lasting result, compared to SMAS facelifts, for example.
Smokers have a much higher rate of complications including wound breakdown and loss of facial flap tissue; it is therefore advisable to have stopped smoking at least 6 ? 8 weeks prior to your operation. Patients with high blood pressure, a tendency to scar significantly, cardiac illnesses or patients taking aspirin or other blood-thinning agents may be at similarly higher risk of complications.
While facelift procedures are relatively safe when performed by properly trained plastic surgeons, there can be problems such as numbness or temporary loss of facial movement due to nerve injury, bleeding under the skin flaps, infection, scar line hair loss and prominent scars.
The facelift skin incisions are designed to be hidden from view. They run from the scalp behind the ear, down behind the earlobe, following the natural contour of the ear cartilage and ending in the temple area behind the hairline. Occasionally a small incision under the chin is used to help with corrections to the neck-line and neck muscle.
The skin and fatty layers are separated from the deeper fibrous and muscular layers. Excess fat is cut or suctioned from around the neck and chin. The ?lift? of the procedure is now carried out using the SMAS tissue, repositioning the ends of these tissue layers higher to re-suspend tissues which have descended. A combination of skin staples within the hairline, and fine removable sutures in front of the ear, are used. These will be detailed at your consultation, along with the operative plan for your particular requirements.
Most patients will show significant improvements in their contour within the first two weeks after surgery. The recovery time tends to be longer with those operations with more extensive surgery. Full resolution of swelling and bruising may take up to four weeks after surgery, and it is reasonable to plan your work and social commitments accordingly.
While a facelift will not turn back time, it will help you maintain a youthful appearance. You will appear fresher and more energetic, and the effects should last for a long time.