FACE LIFT
Description ( Overview)
A face-lift (rhytidectomy) is a cosmetic surgical procedure to create a younger appearance in your face. The procedure can reduce the sagging or folds of skin on the cheeks and jawline and other changes in the shape of your face that occur with age.
During a face-lift, a flap of skin on each side of the face is pulled back, and tissues below the skin are surgically altered to return the contour of the face to a more youthful shape. Before the flap is sutured closed, excess skin is removed.
A neck lift (platysmaplasty) is often done as part of a face-lift to reduce fat deposits and sagging skin on the neck.
A face-lift won’t decrease fine creases or wrinkles in your skin or damage from sun exposure. Other cosmetic procedures can address the appearance or quality of the skin itself.
Why Facelift Is Reguired?
As you get older, the appearance and shape of your face is altered because of normal age-related changes. Your skin becomes less elastic and looser, and fat deposits decrease in some areas of your face and increase in others. Age-related changes in your face that may be reduced with a face-lift include the following:
- Sagging appearance of your cheeks
- Excess skin at your lower jawline (jowls)
- Deepening of the fold of skin from the side of your nose to the corner of your mouth
- Sagging skin and excess fat in the neck (if the procedure includes a neck lift)
A face-lift isn’t a treatment for superficial wrinkles, sun damage, creases around the nose and upper lip, or irregularities in skin color.
What Can a Face lift Accomplish?
If you feel like your face could convey more of the youthful energy you possess, then the rejuvenating effects of a face lift may be able to help you look and feel your best. Dr. Jean can perform a facelift to help you address a wide range of aesthetic concerns, including:
- Jowls
- Lines extending down from the corners of your mouth (marionette lines)
- Nasolabial folds
- Sagging facial skin and muscles
- Sagging in the mid-face region
- Fallen fat and tissue
- Banding in the neck region
- Deep creases across the face
- Hollows underneath the eyes
While nonsurgical options such as dermal fillers can restore lost volume and improve the appearance of mild to moderate wrinkles, only a facelift can target sagging tissue in order to correct these other signs of aging.
Why Iran Is Suitable For Face lift ?
Patient Eligibility \ Who Can Have Face lift?
In general, you are most likely a good facelift candidate if you:
- Are in good overall health
- Have realistic expectations for the outcome of your procedure
- Would like to reverse one or more of the facial aging signs listed above
- Desire highly customized, long-lasting facial rejuvenation results
- Do not smoke or are willing to quit prior to your procedure and throughout the recovery period (smoking can adversely impact healing and final results)
Often doctor will recommend a neck lift in conjunction with a facelift for enhanced results. This is particularly effective if you are trying to eliminate jowls or significant banding in the neck region. Dr offers the Precision TX neck lift, a procedure that uses laser energy to melt fat beneath the surface of the skin and stimulate collagen production. This minimally invasive treatment produces excellent results for men and women with excess fat and moderately loose skin in the neck region.
It’s important to understand that a facelift focuses on the middle and lower portions of your face. If you would like to reverse the signs of aging around the eyes or in the forehead region, Dr may recommend one or more of the following procedures:
- Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty)
- Brow lift
How Is Facelift Done ?(procedures)
Facelift surgery is individualized to a patient’s needs, and a cosmetic surgeon will tailor his or her techniques accordingly.
Mini-Facelift
Patients who exhibit a mild degree of jowling and sagging skin are often good candidates for a mini-facelift. This is a less invasive technique that allows a cosmetic surgeon to tighten deep facial tissues through shorter incisions, typically located along the hairline above each ear and/or in the natural creases surrounding the ear. Through these incisions, structural tissues around the cheeks are lifted and tightened to correct jowling, refine the jawline, and rejuvenate a “tired” appearance.
Depending on the case, a mini-facelift may be performed using local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia; your cosmetic surgeon will recommend the best option for your individual needs. A mini-facelift can help you address unwelcome signs of aging before they become too pronounced, postponing the need for more extensive surgery for many years.
Standard Facelift
A standard or “traditional” facelift will more fully address moderate to advanced aging around the mid-face and neck. While the surgery is more extensive than those for a mini-facelift, and thus more recovery time is required, the results are more dramatic. Through incisions located just behind the hairline, starting near the temples, and around the front of the ear, hidden in the natural folds, a cosmetic surgeon can reposition the deeper tissues beneath the skin and remove excess skin to smooth creases, eliminate jowling and sagging skin under the chin, and restore a naturally youthful contour to the face and neck.
How Does Facelift Surgery Work?
The exact technique a cosmetic surgeon uses during a facelift depends on a number of factors, including a patient’s anatomy and personal goals, the extent of the facelift (mini vs. standard), and whether or not another procedure is being performed at the same time. Facelifts are typically performed using general anesthesia, although local anesthesia with sedation may be used in certain less extensive procedures.
After making the initial incisions, the skin is separated from the underlying connective tissue and muscles. This allows the cosmetic surgeon to reposition the deeper facial tissues, get rid of the jowls and create a firmer foundation for the skin. Then, excess skin is removed, and the remaining skin is gently laid back over the newly rejuvenated facial tissues, giving the face a smoother, more youthful contour without over-tightening the skin.
Can a Facelift Improve My Eyelids Too?
It’s not uncommon to hear the word “facelift” used when referring to any type of facial rejuvenation surgery, and understandably, a lot of people think that a facelift involves operating on the entire face—eyes, brow, cheeks and chin. That’s understandable; after all, your eyes and forehead are part of your face too. However, a facelift on its own only addresses the lower two thirds of the face – the cheeks and jawline.
Why is this the case? It is largely due to differences in anatomy. The skin, muscles and other tissues along the brow and surrounding the eyelids are very distinct, and cosmetic surgery to each of these areas requires an entirely different set of techniques than those used during a facelift.
It is common for patients to choose to have an eyelid lift, brow lift or neck contouring at the same time as a facelift, but in these cases, a cosmetic surgeon will actually be performing two different procedures in one single operation. Likewise, patients who only want to address aging around the eyes or neck can typically achieve their goals with only an eyelid lift or neck lift, and not a facelift.
Preparation & recovery
Initially, you’ll talk to a plastic surgeon about a face-lift. The visit will likely include:
- Medical history and exam. Prepare to answer questions about past and current medical conditions, previous surgeries, previous plastic surgeries, complications from previous surgeries, history of smoking, and drug or alcohol use. Your surgeon will do a physical exam, may request recent records from your doctor or order a consultation with a specialist if there are any concerns about your ability to undergo surgery.
- Medication review. Provide the name and dosages of all medications you regularly take, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, herbal medications, vitamins and other dietary supplements.
- Facial exam. Your plastic surgeon will take photos of your face from different angles and close-up photos of some features. The surgeon will also examine your bone structure, shape of your face, fat distribution and quality of your skin to determine your best options for face-lift surgery.
- Expectations. Your surgeon will ask questions about your expectations for the outcomes of a face-lift. He or she will help you understand how a face-lift will likely change your appearance and what a face-lift doesn’t address, such as fine wrinkles or naturally occurring asymmetry in your face.
Before a face-lift:
- Follow medication directions. You’ll receive instructions about what medications to stop taking and when to stop. For example, you’ll likely be asked to discontinue any blood-thinning medication or supplement at least two weeks before surgery. Talk to your doctor about what medications are safe to take or whether the dosage should be adjusted.
- Wash your face and hair. You’ll likely be asked to wash your hair and face with a germicidal soap the morning of the surgery.
- Avoid eating. You’ll be asked to avoid eating anything after midnight the night before your face-lift. You will be able to drink water and take medications that have been approved by your surgeon.
- Arrange for help during recovery. If your face-lift is done as an outpatient procedure, make plans for someone to drive you home after surgery and stay with you the first night after surgery.
What you can expect
A face-lift can be done in a hospital or an outpatient surgical facility.
Before the procedure
Sometimes the procedure is done with sedation and local anesthesia, which numbs only part of your body. In other cases, general anesthesia — which renders you unconscious — is recommended.
During the procedure
In general, a face-lift involves elevating the skin and tightening the underlying tissues and muscles. Fat in the face and neck may be sculpted, removed or redistributed. Facial skin is then re-draped over the newly repositioned contours of the face, excess skin is removed, and the wound is stitched or taped closed.
The incisions for the procedure depend on the techniques that will be used and the patient’s preferences. Options include:
- A traditional face-lift incision starts at your temples in the hairline, continues down and around the front of your ears and ends behind your ears in your lower scalp. An incision might be made under your chin to improve the appearance of your neck.
- A limited incision is a shorter incision that begins in your hairline just above your ear, wraps around the front of your ear, but does not extend all the way into the lower scalp.
- Neck lift incision starts in front of your earlobe and continues around your ear into your lower scalp. A small incision also is made under your chin.
A face-lift generally takes two to four hours but might take longer if other cosmetic procedures are done at the same time.
After the procedure
After a face-lift, you may experience:
- Mild to moderate pain
- Drainage from the incisions
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Numbness
Your incisions will likely be covered with bandages that provide gentle pressure to minimize swelling and bruising. A small tube might be placed under the skin behind one or both of your ears to drain any excess blood or fluid.
In the first few days after surgery:
- Rest with your head elevated
- Take pain medication as recommended by your doctor
- Apply cool packs to the face to ease pain and reduce swelling
Follow-up appointments
.The day after surgery, your surgeon will likely remove your drainage tube, apply antibiotic ointment to your incisions and place new bandages on your face.
. Two to three days after your face-lift, you may be able to switch from wearing bandages to wearing an elasticized facial sling.
Other Options
A nonsurgical facelift is a combination of minimally invasive and nonsurgical procedures, designed to rejuvenate and refresh the appearance. Compared with a surgical facelift, these techniques do not require large incisions, general anesthesia or overnight hospitalization. The noninvasive treatments get patients in and out of the doctor’s office quickly, with little post-op discomfort and minimal downtime. Even though you will not “go under the knife,” the anti-aging results from a nonsurgical facelift are still significant.
Pros of the nonsurgical facelift
- Fast
- Little discomfort
- No general anesthesia
- Economical
- Temporarily try out a new look
Cons of the nonsurgical facelift
- Moderate, less dramatic results
- Treatments must be repeated
- Costs can add up over months
The components of a nonsurgical facelift
Each nonsurgical facelift is custom-tailored to meet the individual’s unique needs. A variety of noninvasive techniques are available, addressing anything from fine lines, deep creases, lax skin, thinning lips, sunken cheeks, large pores, acne scarring and the loss of facial volume. Common components of a nonsurgical facelift include:
Dermal fillers
Dermal fillers are a cornerstone of nonsurgical facelifts. These smooth-gel injectibles immediately restore volume along the cheeks, temples, lips and under the eyes. Plumping sunken areas, dark shadows are eliminated, creating youthful vibrancy. Placed along the Nasolabial Folds or Marionette Lines, fillers can create definition and smooth tissues for a wrinkle-free look. Dermal fillers can be made from several products, including moisture-rich Hyaluronic Acid (HA). Their plumping and smoothing properties can last from six months to over a full year.
Botox
An important piece of the nonsurgical facelift puzzle, Botox offers unmatched wrinkle reduction. Often used to smooth forehead creases, frown lines and crow’s feet, Botox works on any dynamic wrinkle. Temporarily relaxing the targeted muscle, Botox smooths lines associated with repetitive expressions. Although Botox does not provide immediate wrinkle relief, patients will see results in one to two weeks. Benefits of Botox can last three months.
Fat injections
Fat injections are a semi-invasive procedure, using fatty tissue extracted through liposuction on a different area of the body. These fat cells are cleaned and processed, then reinjected into the face to enhance facial volume. The living fat cells will integrate with the existing tissues, offering youthful contours that will last for years to come.
Needleless treatments
Several components of a nonsurgical facelift work to create a glowing complexion while skipping the needle altogether. Modern-day chemical peels are a trusted, noninvasive technique, shrinking large pores and improving overall skin quality. Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion resurface and exfoliate the skin, ridding dry and damaged tissue. Fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation are reduced as fresher skin comes to the surface. Laser and ultrasound treatments, such as Ultherapy and ThermiTight, use concentrated energy to address the deepest, foundational layers of the skin. Over the months to come, tissues become firmer and tauter.
Nonsurgical facelift maintenance
Noninvasive treatments need to be repeated every few months to maintain optimal results. Note that the more diligent you are about maintaining these nonsurgical treatments, over time, the less you may need. After a Botox session, as the skin and muscles are relaxed, expression lines will not worsen, meaning less product can provide similar results in the future. Additionally, the HA in dermal fillers will increase the body’s collagen production, creating a sturdy scaffolding layer beneath the skin. Wrinkles are not as deep, so later on, fewer syringes of fillers may be needed.
No matter the treatment, the aging process will continue. Working with a board-certified plastic surgeon means that each nonsurgical facelift can be custom-tailored for your skin’s evolving needs. Eventually, if the noninvasive techniques can no longer achieve the desired results, a surgical procedure can be considered.
Risks & Complication
A face-lift surgery can cause complications. Some can be managed with appropriate care, medication or surgical correction. Long-term or permanent complications, while rare, can cause significant changes in appearance. The risks include:
- Hematoma. A collection of blood (hematoma) under the skin that causes swelling and pressure is the most common complication of face-lift surgery. Hematoma formation, which usually occurs with 24 hours of surgery, is treated promptly with surgery to prevent damage to skin and other tissues.
- Scarring. Incision scars from a face-lift are permanent but typically concealed by the hairline and natural contours of the face and ear. Rarely, incisions can result in raised, red scars. Injections of a corticosteroid medication or other treatments might be used to improve the appearance of scars.
- Nerve injury. Injury to nerves, while rare, can temporarily or permanently affect nerves that control sensation or muscles. Temporary paralysis of a select muscle, resulting in an uneven facial appearance or expression, or temporary loss of sensation can last a few months to a year. Surgical interventions may offer some improvement.
- Hair loss. You might experience temporary or permanent hair loss near the incision sites. Permanent hair loss can be addressed with surgery to transplant skin with hair follicles.
- Skin loss. Rarely, a face-lift can interrupt the blood supply to your facial tissues. This can result in skin loss (sloughing). Sloughing is treated with medications, appropriate wound care and, if necessary, a procedure to minimize scarring.
Like any other type of major surgery, a face-lift poses a risk of bleeding, infection and an adverse reaction to anesthesia. Certain medical conditions or lifestyle habits also can increase your risk of complications. The following factors may present a significant risk or result in unfavorable results, and your doctor may advise against a face-lift.
- Blood-thinning medications or supplements. Medications or supplements that thin the blood can affect your blood’s ability to clot and increase the risk of hematomas after surgery. These medications include blood thinners (Coumadin, Plavix, others), aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, fish oil and others.
- Medical conditions. If you have a medical condition that prevents blood clotting, you won’t be able to have a face-lift. Other conditions, such as poorly controlled diabetes or high blood pressure, increase the risk of poor wound healing, hematomas and heart complications.
- Smoking. Smoking significantly increases the risk of poor wound healing, hematomas and skin loss after a face-lift.
- Weight fluctuation. If you have a history of repeated weight gain and loss — factors that affect the shape of your face and condition of your skin — the outcome of the surgery may not be satisfactory or may be satisfactory for only a short time