Face Lift- Medicana Health Group

Overview

A facelift is a surgery to eliminate cosmetic problems of the face and usually the neck due to aging. If you think your face looks tired and old and you notice sagging in your facial skin, you can consider facelift surgery.

However, excess facial skin is removed in a facelift, and the supportive tissues are repaired. There is no effect on other facial defects (forehead lines, under-eye lines, etc.) and skin quality.

In preoperative planning, a more natural facial appearance can be achieved by suggesting additional treatments for the under-eye, eye, eyebrows, nose, mouth, cheekbones, jaw, and neck. At the same time, the sagging causes a tired and older facial appearance.

Why is the Facelift Procedure Done?

As a result of aging and environmental factors, facial skin loses its elasticity; sagging occurs over time and facial appearance changes. When gravity is added to these factors, bags occur under your eyes, and the facial skin and subcutaneous tissue start sagging towards the jowl. All of these processes add eyelids and neck skin over time.

Ultimately, the face appears tired and old due to the sagging and wrinkles caused by environmental factors and mimic muscles, the under-eye bags, the deep lines, and the deterioration of the skin quality.

Facelift aims to eliminate the following problems:

The skin of the mid-face sags to and below the chin due to loss of elasticity in the skin
Bags and deep lines develop under the eyes.
Cheeks appear collapsed due to sagging of skin and displacement of subcutaneous fat tissue
The skin of the neck seems loose and sagged.

If total facial rejuvenation is required, you need to discuss and plan other procedures with your plastic surgeon that will eliminate other cosmetic problems to be satisfied with the outcomes of the surgery.

Risks

Potential complications of arm lift surgery are relatively rare.
Although all possible measures that modern medicine allows are taken to prevent the occurrence of risks, it is by no means likely to warrant that the risks will be eliminated.
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Abnormal scar tissue formation
• Loss of facial tissue
• Asymmetry
• Injury of facial nerve
• Numbness and other changes of sensation
• Failure to get the desired cosmetic result
• Anesthesia-related complications
• Hair loss in and around the incision line

Our expert surgery team will employ all practices to minimize the risk of complications, and our plastic surgeons will preoperatively inform you about the risks listed above and all other potential complications and will address all your concerns.

Preparation

The first phase of preoperative preparation is the same in all Medicana Hospitals. After you decide to have a facelift surgery and discuss it with our plastic surgeons, the following examinations are performed to determine if you can undergo this surgery:
• Review of health history
• A detailed physical examination
• Necessary laboratory tests and radiology studies
• Assessment by anesthesiologists and other laboratory tests and radiology studies to minimize anesthesia-related complications

After it is verified that the surgery does not pose a risk, you will be asked to quit smoking if you are a smoker and to stop taking certain medications that increase the risk of bleeding. All other prescribed and over-the-counter medications, herbal products, and supplements will also be questioned, and you will be informed to continue or stop taking them.

A preoperative discussion with your plastic surgeon about facelifts is critical. You are asked to think about a series of issues and are also informed in detail about the procedure. All procedure details, potential risks, and healing period are explained.

You will also be instructed to stop eating and drinking at a particular time before the surgery, and you should strictly follow this instruction to undergo the surgery at the scheduled date.

Moreover, it is reasonable to plan discharge, post-discharge accommodation, and travel at this phase to manage the postoperative period better.

Surgery and Early Postoperative Period

A facelift can be performed under general anesthesia, a combination of sedation and local anesthesia, or alone.
There are a variety of techniques that can be used for facelift surgery. Your plastic surgeon will determine and inform you about the method depending on the severity of sagging and your expectations to get the best result. You will be informed about the details of these techniques, their advantages, risks, and possible outcomes (mid-face lift, total facelift, neck lift, conventional facelift).

The surgery can take about 3 to 6 hours, depending on the cosmetic problem. The tissues under the skin are reshaped after the excess skin is cut and removed. Fat is removed from other parts of your body whenever necessary and placed in facial areas where tissue loss is present. Finally, the incision is sutured and covered by dressing materials.

Small tubes, also known as drains, can be placed around the incision line before the surgery is completed to prevent the accumulation of blood and body fluids.

Your plastic surgeon will inform you whether you must be observed or stay in the hospital.

After you recover from anesthesia and are ready to walk, you will be mobilized by or under the supervision of our healthcare professionals.

You may notice swelling and bruising immediately after the surgery. These conditions will spontaneously disappear.

Again, your pain management will be planned by your plastic surgeon.

Your plastic surgeon will want you to visit the hospital one day after the surgery. Drain(s) will probably be removed on this visit. Your doctor will also tell you when your sutures will be removed.

After the surgery, sitting upright and elevating your head while lying will help your healing process.

You must see your doctor on scheduled follow-up visits before you are discharged. Wound healing will be checked, and relevant treatments will be started on those visits in case of infection and inflammation.

The scar tissue that forms along the incision line will fade over time, but its color will never be identical to your skin tone.

It will take time to see all the results of the facelift surgery. The incisions will heal over time, the edema will regress, and the final facial appearance will emerge.

The healing period and ability to engage in social life activities will vary depending on the patient's age and the surgical technique. If an experienced plastic surgeon uses the correct method, discreet bruising is probable, but women can make up to hide them one week after the surgery. It will take 2-3 weeks to see the natural appearance of the face.

To get the best result as soon as possible, follow your doctor's instructions throughout the healing period (wound care products that accelerate wound healing, sun exposure, avoidance from strenuous physical activity, protection against facial trauma, bath, makeup, etc.). Therefore, please ask your plastic surgeon all your questions before you leave the hospital.

If you experience warmth and redness in your incision line or have a fever or any symptoms that you think are due to surgery after you are discharged, contact your plastic surgeon immediately.

Results

Your face and neck will appear well-toned and younger after a facelift.

The edema in your face will regress, and the tone of your scar will fade over time.

Although the surgery results are visible within 2-3 weeks, the healing lasts up to six months.

Facelift surgery allows the face to look younger but does not hide other cosmetic defects of the face. This surgery does not help skin problems and tissue quality. For that reason, if sagging of facial skin is accompanied by other cosmetic problems (collapse, tissue loss, deep lines, etc.), facelift surgery can be combined with other cosmetic procedures to eliminate these problems.

Suppose you inform your plastic surgeon about your expectations before undergoing a breast augmentation. In that case, your satisfaction with outcomes will be maximized, and the risk of implant removal or revision surgery will be minimized.

Since this surgery does not stop the aging process, the protection of the skin of your face against the sun and other environmental factors after surgery and following your plastic surgeon's instructions will ensure that the surgery results remain on your face for a long time.