Who is a good candidate for a facelift?
The modern facelift is a combination of a number of procedures tailored specifically to each patient’s degree of facial aging and their desired results. Good candidates come in all varieties. They range in age from the 40s to the 80s, and are both male and female. The best candidates have good skin quality. Pre-operative skincare is helpful in achieving the best results. The worst candidates are smokers or those with excessive sun damage resulting in exaggerated lines about and the mouth and eyelids. Their results will be compromised by the quality of their skin.
What can be expected during a consultation?
A good idea of the patient’s expectations can be gleaned at the time of consultation, and our goals are to achieve and exceed those expectations. If pre-surgical therapies with either cosmeceuticals or laser treatments are appropriate or if there are overlying medical circumstances that need to be corrected prior to any surgical procedures, that discussion takes place at the time of consultation. Depending on a patient’s health history, a visit to the patient’s local physician may be appropriate for surgical clearance.
How is the surgery performed? How long does it take?
The surgery is generally accomplished on an outpatient basis in our accredited operating theaters under general anesthesia, which is provided by board-certified anesthesiologists. They rotate through our office on a regular basis. Some procedures can be done with local anesthesia and sedation if the patient so desires. The time necessary for the procedure can vary from three to five hours depending on all the maneuvers that may be required to achieve optimal results.
Where are the incisions and what kind of scarring should be expected?
Incisions are hidden both at and above the hairline and are tailored according to the position and nature of the amount of skin resection anticipated. Frequently, short scar facelifts are carried out in which the scar in the area behind the ear is limited in length. This is desirable when minimal amounts of skin need resection. At the same time, scars are also tailored for males vs females as the hair-bearing skin on the male face cannot be brought around the areas of the external canal of the ear as it is on females.
Scars fade over time. We have laser and Intense Pulse Light Devices that are able to fade them more quickly, and hair-bearing skin found in inappropriate areas can also be treated for hair removal with laser therapies. In general, it is only with significant scrutiny that the post-operative scars can be found after the healing period is complete.
Can other procedures be done at the same time as a facelift?
Other procedures are often combined with facelifts. Most commonly, upper and lower eyelid surgeries, called blepharoplasties, can be combined. In addition, brows can be lifted at the same time and this has advantage in that only one healing period is necessary.
Before After
Here are some quick examples of procedures completed
