Surgical Facelift

The surgical facelift (rhytidectomy) is a surgical procedure designed to smooth the loose skin on your face and neck, and to reduce the most apparent signs of aging in the facial area, giving you a more youthful appearance. The procedure involves reducing the creases from the nose and mouth, the slacking jaw line and sagging jowls and fat deposits around the neck by removing excess fat and tightening underlying muscles, then redraping the skin on the face and neck. The mini facelift gives an overall lift to the neck and lower third of the face and has an age-diminishing effect so that patients look younger, rested, and energized.

Although the facelift or mini facelift procedures cannot stop the aging process, they can turn back the clock on your facial appearance, giving you a younger, fresher look, which can also have a positive effect on your self-confidence. The surgical facelift produces a more dramatic and lasting effect than non-surgical methods or creams and lotions.

The best candidates for a surgical facelift are those who:

• Have face and neck skin that has begun to sag, but still possess good skin elasticity and whose bone structure is strong and well defined.
• Experience the loss of a well-defined jaw line
• Have deep wrinkles in the cheeks
• Have loose skin, wrinkle or excess fatty tissue in the neck

A surgical facelift is performed by generally making an incision around the natural contour of the earlobe and hairline. This helps to keep any scarring from being visible. Any facelift incision can be easily masked by make-up or hair. If a neck lift is performed, you may have a drain tube to allow excess fluid to drain from the incision. Your facelift bandage will stay in place for 1 to 2 days. You may experience some increased swelling in the first 24 to 48 hours after your surgery. Most bruising will subside in about two weeks. Some numbness may occur, and your stitches will remain till your 1 week visit.