Facelift

You will look better, younger and more rested and specific changes in the face will not be noted by most people.

FACELIFT

During a facelift the soft tissues of mainly the lower one third of the face and the neck are lifted towards their original position. This will result in an improvement of the contours of the jawline and neck. Furthermore there will be a reduction of folds and creases in the cheek areas and in the neck region. Wrinkles of the skin will decrease, but not necessarily disappear completely. Wrinkles around the eyes and lips will remain unchanged and other procedures can improve these areas such as an eyelid correction, laser treatment, dermabrasion or chemical peels. Decreasing the forehead lines, the frown area and raising the eyebrows can be achieved with a forehead lift.

DETAILS OF THE TREATMENT

THE FIRST CONSULTATION

During the first consultation your specific concerns regarding your face and the relevant anatomy will be discussed. A facelift is a long procedure and your general health should be acceptable. Any blood thinning medication should be discontinued prior to surgery and stop smoking at least four weeks before and four weeks after the procedure. Not one cigarette! You will be informed on all aspect of before, during and after the procedure.

A facelift is a long procedure which can last 4 to 5 hours and is performed under a light general anesthetic in combination with local anesthetic. An incision will be made in the skin from the hair baring skin in the temple, in front of the ear, around the earlobe following the ear at the back and into the hairline. The skin will then be mobilized over the cheeks, the jaw and the neck. In modern facelifts the underlying soft tissue layer, the SMAS layer, is mobilized and tightened. Lifting and tightening the SMAS is what will make the difference. The subcutaneous layers will follow correcting the jawline. Through an incision under the chin fat in the neck will be removed and slack neck muscles with be tightened in the midline. This will recreate the angle of the mandible with the neck. Drains will be placed under the skin and will be connected to suction bottle to remove any blood and wound fluid after the procedure. You will stay overnight and can go home with guidance. The drains will be removed once the drainage is minimal.

Your face and neck can be swollen and bruised. The majority will settle down in the first two weeks and in general you will experience little pain. During this time you will need to take it easy, maintain your head high with an extra pillow and prevent bending down. An antibiotic cream can be applied to all the wounds to keep all possible blood cloths and scabs soft so they can easily be removed. You can shower and carefully wash your hair. After about one week all sutures will be removed at the consulting rooms. You will experience little pain, but will feel some tightness in the neck which will settle in the weeks thereafter.

Often it is assumed the after a facelift you will have a tight mask face. Also it is expected that your face changes to the extent that you don’t look like you anymore. This is not the case. The wrinkles that appear in your face as a result of the way you smile or talk will not disappear after a facelift. These wrinkles are part of your facial expression and will always be present. You will look better, younger and more rested and specific changes in the face will not be noted by most people. The scars run from in front of the ear, around the earlobe into the groove behind the ear and then into the hairline. They will be hardy noticeable, but will always be visible only on close inspection. The scar under the chin will also be hardly noticeable. All scars will improve in the first year after the procedure. The result of a facelift starts to become apparent after a few weeks. The aging process and the descent of the soft tissues of the face continues with time. After a facelift the elasticity of the skin will continue to decrease. The effect of a facelift lasts for five to ten years, but without the facelift you would have looked older after five to ten years. Face lifts can always be repeated in the future.

A facelift has many of the same risks and complications as every other operation. Bleeding or an infection can develop, but these are fortunately rare. Sometimes the circulation of the skin is compromised to the extent that the skin around the wound edges dies. This complication mainly occurs in smokers and it is therefore absolutely mandatory that smoking is completely ceased four week prior to surgery till at least four weeks thereafter. Very occasionally a small branch of the facial nerve is damaged resulting in a partial weakness of the muscle of the mouth, lips or forehead. Normally this recovers completely after a few weeks or months. Because the skin is elevated from the underlying tissues the sensation will be decrease for some time and will feel numb. This too will be temporary, although recovery may take many months to a year. Sometimes scar formation may be excessive and treatment with steroid injections may be indicated. People with darker skin tone the scars sometime are more visible due to color changes and make-up may be useful.

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