Who is best for a Face Lift?

Person with sagging neck, elastic skin and strong (well defined) bone structure is best for the face lift. Most patients are in their forties to sixties but Face Lifts can be done successfully on people in their seventies or eighties as well. A Face Lift can make you look younger and fresher, and it may enhance appearance.

A Face Lift can make you look younger and fresher, and it may enhance appearance. If you feel young, this procedure can help make you look as good as you feel.

Anesthesia

Most Face Lifts are performed under local Anesthesia, combined with a sedative to make you drowsy. You'll be awake, but relaxed, and your face will be insensitive to pain. It may also be carried out under general Anesthesia, in which case you will sleep throughout the procedure.

Surgery

A Face Lift usually takes several hours. The exact placement of the incisions depends mainly on your facial structure and the areas to be worked on. Incisions usually begin above the hairline at the temples, extend in a natural line in front of the ear (or just inside the cartilage at the front of the ear), and continue behind the earlobe to the lower scalp. If the neck needs work, a small incision may also be made under the chin. When combined with a Brow Lift, a coronal incision will be used. This last incision follows a headphone-like pattern, starting at about the ear level and running across the top of the forehead and down the other side of the head and is usually made well behind the hairline so that the scar won't be visible. In general, the skin is separated from the fat and muscle below. Fat may be trimmed or suctioned from around the neck and chin to improve the contour. The underlying muscle and membrane is then tightened and the skin is pulled back with the excess removed. Stitches secure the layers of tissue and close the incisions; metal clips may be used on the scalp. Following surgery, a small, thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin behind your ear to drain any blood that might collect there. A bandage wrap is generally used to minimize bruising and swelling.

Recovery

Back to work in 1-2 weeks. More strenuous activities 2-3 weeks. Must limit exposure to sun for several months. Duration of result is 5-6 years.