Face Lift Surgery: How is Face Lift Surgery Performed?
Face Lift Surgery Has Come a Long Way
Face lift surgery has changed considerably over the years. In the past, the skin was simply lifted during face lift surgery, leaving visible scars and a face with a stretched "plastic" look. Now, face lift surgeons use more advanced techniques, such as plane lifting, undermining, endoscopic face lift, short scar face lift, lifting deeper layers of the face, tightening the facial muscles, using behind-the-ear and under-the-hairline facelift incisions, and employing liposuction of the jowls and neck during face lift surgery. Now face lift surgery patients enjoy beautiful, natural-looking results that generally last for 10 years or more. Face lift surgery restores the youthful contours of your face, allowing you to look as young as you feel.
Face Lift Surgery Facts
Face lift surgery complexity and patient needs vary. Some patients have face lift surgery under general anesthesia and require an overnight stay in the hospital. Other patients have face lift surgery on an outpatient basis in hospitals, medical spas, or face lift physician's offices under local anesthesia with sedation. Your face lift surgeon will determine the type of care required for your particular needs.
Other procedures are sometimes also performed during face lift surgery. These procedures include facial implants, augmentation, laser resurfacing, injection wrinkle reduction, and facial liposuction. The face lift surgery alone generally requires three – four hours, and face lift surgery patients are given medications to assure their comfort after the face lift surgery.
Before Face Lift Surgery
You must take certain preparations before face lift surgery or any type of elective surgery. Important measures before face lift surgery include eliminating smoking, eliminating the use of aspirin and NSAIDs (non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Motrin and Advil, and using only vitamins and other natural remedies that have been approved by your face lift surgeon.
Face lift surgery patients with short hair might want to grow their hair long enough to cover any face lift surgery incisions planned for the hairline. Men might want to grow a temporary beard while face lift surgery incisions heal as male face lift surgery incisions are placed in the natural beard line. If you color or otherwise process your hair with chemicals, have these treatments performed before face lift surgery as these procedures are not allowed for at least one month after your face lift surgery.
Face Lift Surgery Procedure
Traditional face lift surgery is a major surgery, and general anesthesia is commonly used. Other face lift surgeries often require only local anesthesia with a mild sedative.
After your anesthesia has been administered, your face lift surgeon then places the face lift surgery incisions: usually in front of and behind the ear, sometimes extending to the scalp into the hairline. Face lift surgery incisions are always placed in facial creases where they are not noticeable after they heal.
After the face lift surgeon creates the incisions, he or she undermines and separates the facial skin from the deep tissue layers so that excess facial skin can be reshaped or removed.
The face can be contoured with various techniques during face lift surgery. Your surgeon can remove the excess skin, and facial fat can be removed with liposuction during face lift surgery. Another technique is to reshape the facial skin and muscle rather than removing it. Next, muscles are tightened and the excess skin is tightened or removed, and the facial skin is contoured. Finally, your facelift surgeon closes the incisions with sutures and places a dressing over your face lift surgery incisions.
Face Lift Surgery Recovery
After your face lift surgery, you will feel some discomfort. Your physician will prescribe pain medication to make you more comfortable or recommend over-the-counter medication. Your face lift surgery incisions will be covered with a large dressing that is worn for the first 24 hours. On the second day, this dressing is replaced with an elastic wrap. Many face lift surgery patients experience facial bruising and swelling in the first 24 hours. Drainage tubes to reduce swelling and excess blood may be in place, and these may remain for a few days following face lift surgery.
Generally, face lift surgery patients can resume hair washing 48 hours after face lift surgery. Exercise and other strenuous activities should be avoided for up to four to six weeks until the swelling is gone. Most face lift surgery patients can resume office work and other light activities within one to two weeks after face lift surgery.
Full healing might take up to three months, so be sure to schedule your face lift surgery well in advance of any major social events such as a high school reunion.
Face Lift Surgery Consultation
Make sure that you go over all details about the face lift procedure with your surgeon. He or she can answer all of your questions about the face lift procedures, what to expect, how long the face lift recovery will last, what medications to take both before and after your face lift, and many other details. The face lift consultation is a very important part of the face lift procedure, and you should make the most of it in order to have a successful face lift surgery.