Facelift

Facelift is a surgical procedure performed on a person's face to provide patients with a younger-looking appearance. As we age, our skin begins to sag and develop deep creases in the lower face and under the eyelids. Facelift surgery can turn back time, and you can have the fresh, healthy look of your youth.

A facelift is a common and safe procedure. A facelift surgeon places the facelift incisions around the patients ear and sometimes into the hairline. These incisions are placed in inconspicuous areas so that the facelift patient has a natural appearance. Facelift surgeons are skilled in masking the fact that patients have had a facelift, and after the incisions have healed, other people generally cannot tell that the patient has had a facelift.

Facelift Procedure

Most facelift surgeries require general anesthetic while some more minor facelift surgeries require only local anesthesia with a mild sedative. After the patient is anesthetized, the facelift surgeon places the incisions around the ear and into the hairline, if necessary. The facelift is completed by tightening the facial muscles and pulling the skin into its new position. The skin in sutured in place, and a dressing is placed over the incisions.

Facelift patients generally go home two – 24 hours after facelift surgery and return to work and light activities in
one – two weeks. Swelling resides in four – six weeks, but full healing can take up to three months, so be sure to schedule any major social activities around your facelift surgery.

Facelift Candidate

A good facelift candidate shares common characteristics. If you are a man or woman above 30 years of age with three or more of these features, you might be a good candidate for a facelift surgery:

good, defined facial bone structure, including jawline
loose or sagging skin on the midface
jowls or double chin
lower eyelid creases
deep creases from the nose to lip corners
facial fat that has shifted

Facelift Results

A facelift is a one-time surgery that gives long-lasting results. Patients experience discomfort, swelling and bruising in the first 24 – 48 hours after a facelift procedure. A facelift patient wears special bandages after surgery to protect the facelift incisions. About a week after the facelift surgery, patients should return to their facelift surgeon for a follow-up consultation. In this consultation the surgeon evaluates the facelift patient and may remove the facelift stitches.

A facelift can erase 10 years of sagging skin and lines from your face and neck. Because of the safety of the facelift procedure and the postive outcomes, facelift surgery is now one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States and around the world.

Facelift Cost

The cost of a facelift varies depending on the experience level of facelift surgeon, the type of facelift, your geographic location, and the type of facility in which the facelift is performed. Surgery costs increase if the patient has a facelift in conjunction with other procedures. Many facelift surgeons offer payment and financing plans that make the facelift surgery affordable to everyone. See the Facelift Cost page on this website for more information on the costs of facelift surgery.

Types of Facelift

There are many type of facelift. These types of facelift target different problems in a person's face and are based on the patient's individual needs. Facelift benefits both men and women. A few of the facelift procedures available are listed below:

lower (standard) facelift
mini facelift
endoscopic facelift
thread facelift
mid facelift
laser facelift
microcurrent facelift

Some facelift methods target the forehead area, while others target the cheeks and neck. Mini-facelifts produce fewer scars than more extensive facelifts and might be appropriate for those individuals that show signs of aging only in specific areas. See the menu items to the left for specific information on these facelift procedures.

A Good Facelift

The best way to judge a successful facelift is to observe the patient after he or she is completely healed. For a few weeks following the facelift surgery, the patient might experience temporary facial tightening, giving a stretched appearance. Because facial skin has elasticity, after the patient heals from the facelift surgery, the tightening dissipates, and the patient's skin looks younger and more natural.

Facelift Consultation

Make sure that you go over all details about the facelift procedure with your surgeon. He or she can answer all of your questions about the facelift procedures, what to expect, how long the facelift recovery will last, what medications to take both before and after your facelift, and many other details. The facelift consultation is a very important part of the facelift procedure, and you should make the most of it in order to have a successful facelift surgery.