What is a facelift?
Age and gravity can take a toll on your face. Once youthful facial contours dissipate with a loss of skin elasticity, loss of volume and muscle tone, and deepened lines and wrinkles. Fortunately, with modern technology and the help of our skilled surgical team, you no longer need to leave your youthful looks behind as you age.
A facelift, or rhytidectomy, serves to reshape the facial contours and renew a youthful and aesthetically pleasing appearance. This popular procedure can help create a more youthful version of yourself. Incisions are hidden along the hairline and folds of the ears. Excess skin and tissue are removed, facial muscles are tightened, and deep folds are smoothed. Depending on your aesthetic goals, a facelift can be combined with other facial rejuvenation procedures, such as browlift, lip lift, eyelid lift, buccal fat reduction, facial fat grafting, and laser resurfacing.
Facelifts are delicate procedures, requiring artistic skill and attention to detail. Our board-certified surgeons will combine their surgical artistry with the latest techniques such as the deep plane facelift to give you a rejuvenated, youthful appearance with beautiful, natural results.
What are the benefits?
After a facelift At Optum Plastic Surgery Center, you can expect to experience:
- A more youthful appearance
- Improved facial contours
- Significantly reduced fine lines and wrinkles
- Long-lasting results
- Heightened self-confidence
- Beautiful, natural results
Who is the ideal candidate?
Generally, patients experiencing skin laxity and substantial fine lines and wrinkles in the face are candidates for facelifts. Our surgeons will examine your face and will make specific recommendations tailored to your specific needs. The ideal candidate is in good physical health and does not have any serious medical issues that may affect surgery or recovery. Additionally, patients should be of stable weight and be non-smokers. It is also important for candidates to view their facelift procedure with realistic expectations.
What can I expect from recovery?
After a facelift, you can expect swelling and some bruising on the face. Your surgeon will dress your incisions postoperatively and provide a prescription for pain medication to aid the discomfort. It is very important that you do not lay down completely, as lying flat will induce excess swelling and fluid retention. Rather, it is highly recommended you recline while resting in the days following your surgery to promote healing. Your surgeon will keep track of your recovery with follow-up appointments. Once healed, scars will be very well hidden.
Frequently asked questions
What are the steps of a facelift procedure?
A typical facelift incision is concealed within the sideburn hairline, within the natural contour of the ears, within the groove behind the ears, and finally the hairline behind the ears. There are several different types of facelifts which are surgeon-specific. Once the incision is made, the deeper tissues of the face are tightened, and excess skin is removed. Volume may be added with your own fat depending on your surgeon.
What are the risks associated with a facelift?
Beyond the general risks of cosmetic surgery that include bleeding, infection, asymmetry and poor scarring, specific risks of a face lift include delayed healing of the incision lines, loss of sensation to the earlobe and / or injury to the muscles of facial expression.
What results can I expect after a facelift?
A rejuvenated facial appearance with softening of facial wrinkles and restored youthful volume and contours.
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