Face Lift
Overview
Facelift is a surgery aimed at eliminating cosmetic problems of 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 face lift surgery.
However, in facelift, excess facial skin is removed and the supportive tissues are repaired. There is no effect on other defects in your face (forehead lines, under-eye lines etc.) and quality of your skin.
A more natural facial appearance can be achieved by suggesting additional treatments for the under-eye, eye, eyebrows, nose, mouth, cheekbones, jaw and neck in preoperative planning while the sagging is eliminated that cause tired and older facial appearance.
Why is face lift procedure done?
As a result of aging and environmental factors, facial skin loses its elasticity, sagging occurs over time and facial appearance changes.
When the gravity force is added to these factors, bags occurs under your eyes and the facial skin and subcutaneous tissue starts sagging towards the jowl. To all of these processes are added eyelids and neck skin over time.
Ultimately, the face appears tired and old due to the sagging, 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:
- Skin of mid-face sags to and below the chin due to loss of elasticity in skin
• Bags and deep lines develop under the eyes.
• Cheeks appear collapsed due to sagging of skin and displacement of subcutaneous fat tissue
• Skin of neck appears loose and sagged.
If total facial rejuvenation is required, you need to discuss and plan other procedures that will eliminate other cosmetic problems with your plastic surgeon in order to be satisfied with 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 occurrence of risks, it is no means possible to warrant that the risks will be completely 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 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 risks listed above and all other potential complications and will address all your concerns.
Preparation
The first phase of preoperative preparation is same in all Medicana Hospitals. After you decide to have a face lift surgery and discuss with our plastic surgeons, following examinations are performed to decide whether you can undergo this surgery:
• Review of health history
• A detailed physical examination
• Necessary laboratory tests and radiology studies
• Assessment by anesthesiologist and other laboratory tests and radiology studies to minimize anesthesia-related complications
After it is verified that the surgery does not pose risk, you will be asked to quit smoking, if you are a smoker, and to stop taking certain medications that increase 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 face lift is very important. You are asked to think about a series of issues and you are also informed in detail about the procedure. All details of the procedure, 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 in order to undergo the surgery at the scheduled date.
Moreover, it is reasonable to plan discharge, post-discharge accommodation and travel at this phase in order to manage postoperative period better.
Surgery and early postoperative period
A face lift can be performed under general anesthesia, combination of sedation and local anesthesia or local anesthesia 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 both severity of sagging and your expectations in order to get best result. You will be informed about details, advantages, risks and possible outcomes of these techniques (mid-face lift, total face lift and neck lift, conventional face lift).
The surgery can take about 3 to 6 hours, depending on the cosmetic problem. After the excess skin is cut and removed, the tissues under the skin are reshaped. Whenever necessary, fat is removed from other parts of your body 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 drain, can be placed, before the surgery is completed, around the incision line in order to prevent accumulation of blood and body fluids.
Your plastic surgeon will inform you whether you need to be observed or you should stay in hospital.
After you recover from anesthesia and you are ready to walk, you will be mobilized by or under 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 be probably 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.
It is important to see your doctor on follow-up visits that are scheduled before you are discharged. Wound healing will be checked and in case of any infection and inflammation, relevant treatments will be started on those visits.
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 results of the facelift surgery The incisions will heal over time, the edema will regress and the final facial appearance will emerge after a while.
Healing period and ability to engage social life activities will vary depending on age of the patient and the surgical technique. If an experienced plastic surgeon uses the correct technique, 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 a natural appearance of the face.
In order to get the best result as soon as possible, you should strictly follow your doctor's instructions throughout the healing period (wound care products that accelerate wound healing, sun exposure, avoiding from strenuous physical activity, protection against facial trauma, bath, make up etc.). Therefore, please ask all your questions to your plastic surgeon before you leave the hospital.
If you experience warmth and redness in your incision line, or if you 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 facelift.
The edema in your face will regress and the tone of your scar will fade over time.
Although the results of the surgery are visible within 2-3 weeks, the healing process lasts up to six months.
Face-lift surgery allows the face 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 you think sagging of facial skin is accompanied by other cosmetic problems (collapse, tissue loss, deep lines, etc.), face lift surgery can be combined with other cosmetic procedures to get rid of these problems.
If you clearly inform your plastic surgeon about your expectations before undergoing a breast augmentation, 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, protection of skin of your face against sun and other environmental factors after surgery and following the instructions of your plastic surgeon will ensure that results of the surgery remain in your face for a long time.
