Face Lift 101: What You Should Know About a Facelift?
The goal of any facelift surgery is to reduce the sagging and wrinkling caused by loose skin and to lift or reposition both the muscles and fatty tissues of the face and neck which tend to sag with advancing years or premature aging. Facelifts do not correct problems in the upper or lower eyelids, or the wrinkles or creases around the lips other procedures (blepharoplasty or skin resurfacing) are required for these conditions.
The facelift has become one of the most popular cosmetic operations performed in the head and neck because as medical advances and new technology increase the average life span, many women, and men, find that they look older than they feel, physically and mentally. The antiquated stigma previously associated with having plastic surgery is disappearing. These days, men and women equally are seeking ways to look as good as they feel. The techniques used by a skilled plastic surgeon should produce results which cause patients to have “natural” and “nu-operated” looks.
The facelift operation may be divided into three parts: the forehead or eyebrow lift (the upper one-third), the cheek lift (the middle one-third), and the neck-jowl lift (the lower one-third). Most people require all three components but occasionally only one or two portions are recommended. Your plastic surgeon will advise you in your particular situation. Most people seeking “neck lifts” require some lifting of the cheeks in order to avoid “puckering” of the skin around the ears.
A facelift may be done for one or two reasons: to help prevent the advancement of aging, i.e., to help relatively young individuals (about 50 or less) to appear to stay young. The second reason is to assist one who is already wrinkled or whose skin sags to appear younger, fresher and more rested, to help one recapture the appearance once enjoyed.
Naturally, everyone contemplating the operation is interested in how much improvement they can expect, and for what duration. The amount of improvement depends on the degree of wrinkling and sagging present; if it is excessive, the results may be dramatic; if sagging is occurring prematurely and the operation is being done to attempt to keep the patient looking young, the improvement may be more subtle. Remarks may be made that the skin appears “less tired” and the face “looks more alive, rested and fresher.” Some people look as though they have “lost weight” because the heaviness along the jawline and in the neck is improved.
How Long Does a Facelift Last?
The duration of the results achieved with a face and neck lift cannot always be accurately predicted. If wrinkling and/or sagging are severe it will obviously take years before the condition becomes as bad as it was before surgery. If the natural degenerative process in the skin is occurring rapidly, wrinkling and sagging will also accumulate more rapidly. This is precisely when tuck-up procedures are helpful.
Liposuction can remove unwanted fat from the neck and jaw-line. When combined with tightening sagging muscles and skin in patients undergoing facial plastic surgery liposuction can improve the results. A face that is simply “fat” however, may be improved, but for a short time.
In ideal cases, however, the duration of improvement following a facelift is often from five (5) to ten (10) years. No operation can permanently prevent aging but the individual should never appear as old as (s)he might have if the operation had not been done.
Any sagging noticed after a facelift is a result of the continuation of the aging process. When sagging becomes a problem again, a “tuck-up” procedure can be done which may provide dramatic and long-lasting improvement. For the best results every patient should be evaluated within a year or two following surgery, a “tuck-up” may or may not be considered at this time. Claims that some surgeon’s facelifts, “last longer” should be viewed with skepticism. “Over-doing” surgery in an attempt to have a “tight” appearance for a longer time is fraught with problems.
On the same token, there are physicians that deceptively use the phrase “facelift” to advertise procedures that deviate from the main concept and techniques of a proven traditional facelift. Procedures like “liquid facelift”, non-surgical facelift, thread lifts utilize completely different technique than a traditional facelift and their longevity and results are not anything like facelift done by a plastic surgeon.
A facelift simply removes the slack which occurred due to the breaking down of the elastic tissues in the skin as part of the aging process; however, like any mate¬rial that has elasticity, a second tightening may be helpful. The foundation created by the initial facelift creates the desired situation for a “tuck-up.” It is not necessary, however, to have additional cosmetic surgery. The “tuck-up” becomes simply part of a “maintenance program.”
About the Face Lift Surgery
Technically, the facelift operation consists of repositioning and supporting the sagging skin and the underlying tissues of the face and removing the excess skin and fat.
A skilled plastic surgeon camouflages the incisions with the adjacent hair or by the natural creases and folds of the ears. During preparation for surgery, it is not necessary to shave the hair in the temporal and forehead regions or behind the ear.
A turban-type head bandage is worn the night following surgery but it is generally removed the next morning. The face may be swollen and some discoloration may be present. This discoloration usually fades away within about 7-14 days. Patients can return to most of their “normal routine” within one or two weeks. But the face and neck may feel “tight” and movement will be restricted. This is to be expected as long as the tissues are swollen. The patient returns in about a week to have the sutures and clips removed. Makeup may be worn by seven (7) to ten (10 days and (s)he should be able to return to work and carefully drive an automobile in about one or two weeks.
About Dr. Simoni
Dr. Payman Simoni is a leading board certified facial plastic surgeon who is a Facelift expert and innovator in the latest facelift techniques. Dr. Simoni has pioneered Simoni Lift has been featured on CNN, ABC, and the view, ET and much more. Dr. Simoni’s background in cosmetic facelift surgery combined with natural looking results has made him one of the most sought after Beverly Hills facelift specialists.