SAs we age, our facial skin loosens. Factors such as sun exposure, weight fluctuations, and heredity speed the process. A face lift or rhylidectomy, is the most well known cosmetic procedure that is effective at improving the signs of aging in the face and neck. A facelift will visibly improve sagging in the midface, deep creases below the lower eyelids, deep creases along the nose extending to the corner of the mouth, loss of muscle tone, jowls and loose skin. Before the face lift, the surgeon will administer IV sedation or general anesthesia. The traditional facelift involves an incision in the hairlines near the temple which continues around the ear and ends in the lower scalp. Fat may be sculpted or redistributed from the face, jowls and neck, and underlying tissue is repositioned, commonly the deeper layers of the face and the muscles are also lifted. At the end of the facelift, the skin is redraped over the uplifted contours. To finish the face lift, excess skin is trimmed away. A second incision under the chin may be necessary to further improve an aging neck. Sutures or skin adhesives close the incisions. A face lift will take between two to three hours on average.

Cost of the Procedure

Risks of the Procedure

A face lift is a surgical procedure and therefore subject to all risks inherent in surgery. Other risks of a face lift include unfavorable scarring, facial nerve injury, facial asymmetry, skin loss, skin contour irregularities, skin discolorations and unsatisfactory results.

Are travel and vacation activities compatible with surgery?

It is important to follow the surgeon's post-operative instructions carefully, restraining from strenuous activity in order to avoid tension on the wound (which could lead to worse scarring). Rigorous activity is not allowed after your surgery. Your vacation with physical activities should be planned before the surgery takes place.

Preparing for the procedure

Before the face lift, the surgeon will administer IV sedation or general anesthesia. The traditional facelift involves an incision in the hairlines near the temple which continues around the ear and ends in the lower scalp. Fat may be sculpted or redistributed from the face, jowls and neck, and underlying tissue is repositioned, commonly the deeper layers of the face and the muscles are also lifted. At the end of the facelift, the skin is redraped over the uplifted contours. To finish the face lift, excess skin is trimmed away. A second incision under the chin may be necessary to further improve an aging neck. Sutures or skin adhesives close the incisions. A face lift will take between two to three hours on average.

Planning for my recovery

The surgery is mostly done as an outpatient procedure. A pressure bandage is applied to the face to reduce the risk of hematoma. Numbness of the skin is experienced which may disappear in a few weeks or months. There may be no significant discomfort after the procedure. Any severe discomfort may be relieved by medications prescribed by the surgeon. The patient may spend a few hours resting in a recovery room to ensure no bleeding has occurred after which he returns home. The drainage tube is removed 1-2 days after surgery. The patient is advised to remain reclining for the next 24 hours, consuming a liquid diet, and avoiding any movements that require the neck to flex. Antibiotics prescribed must be taken for five days when the first stitches come out. The remaining stitches are removed seven to ten days later. The face may be pale and bruised which will return to normalcy in a few weeks time. Most of the stitches will be removed after about five days.