Facelift Treatment

What is Facelift?

A facelift (Rhytidectomy) is a cosmetic surgery used for giving a younger facial appearance to the person. There are multiple surgical techniques and exercise routines for the facelift. Surgery generally involves removing the excess facial skin, with or without the tightening of underlying tissues, and the redraping of the skin on the people's neck and face. Surgical facelifts are successfully combined with eyelid surgery and other facial surgeries and are generally done under general anesthesia or deep twilight sleep.

Reasons for Facelift:

As the people get older, the appearance and shape of the people’s face are changes because of the normal age-related changes. The people’s skin becomes less elastic and looser, and the fat deposits decrease in some of the areas of their face and increase in others. Age-related alterations in the face that may be reduced with a face-lift include the following:

• Sagging appearance of the cheeks
• Excess skin at the lower jawline
• Deepening of the fold of skin from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth
• Sagging skin and excess fat present in the neck
• A face-lift isn't a treatment for superficial sun damage, wrinkles, irregularities in skin color or creases around the nose and upper lip,

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Procedure:

A face-lift usually involves the elevation of the skin and tightening of the underlying tissues and muscles. Fat in the face and neck may be removed redistributed or sculpted. Facial skin is then re-draped over the newly repositioned contours of the face, excess skin is removed, and the wound is being stitched or taped closed.

The cuts for the surgery depend on the techniques that will be used and the patient's preferences. Options include the following:

• A traditional face-lift cut begins at the patient’s temples in the hairline, and continues down and around the front of the patient’s ears and ends behind the ears in the lower scalp. A cut might be made under the patient’s chin for improving the appearance of the neck.
• A limited cut is a shorter cut that starts in the patient’s hairline just above their ear, wraps around the front of the ear, but does not stretch all the way into the patient’s lower scalp.
• Neck lift cut begins in front of the earlobe and continues around the patient’s ear into their lower scalp. A small cut also is made under the chin.
• A face-lift usually takes up to four hours but might take longer time if other cosmetic procedures are performed at the same time.

Recommendations

The following points should be discussed and considered before going ahead with the facelift:

Facelift surgery is not advised for anyone who is suffering from serious medical problems, and the patients should be in good mental and physical health. Patients who are suffering from diabetes and have high blood pressure have a higher risk of complications. Smoking cigarette and tobacco use can increase the risk of complications. It can hinder with the wound healing. A person who is considering a facelift must completely stop smoking or the use of any nicotine products. It is important to have realistic expectations and to remember that a facelift will not ultimately stop the aging process, the results are usually permanent. Good skin elasticity and bone structure will give the best possible results. Patients should stop using the intake of aspirin or other blood thinners for at least a week before the surgery date.

How soon will I recover?

Most of the patients feel some discomfort, but medication can help in relieving tenderness. Bruising and swelling will be at their worst after two days of the surgery, and they can last for a few days. Rehabilitation usually takes around 2 weeks, and vigorous activity must be resumed after the 4 weeks only. Sutures are to be removed about 5 to 10 days after the surgery has been performed. Cuts and bandages must be kept dry, and the patient must follow certain instructions about bathing and washing. It is vital for the patients to follow the doctor's instructions, as this will speed up the healing process and thus allowing the best possible result. Numbness and muscle stiffness is common for some time.

What are the risks involved?

Face-lift surgery can result in some complications. Some can be managed with appropriate care, surgical correction, or medication. The risks include the following:

Hematoma: A collection of blood under the skin can result in the swelling and pressure; these are the most common complication of face-lift surgery. Hematoma formation, which generally occurs with 24 hours of the surgery, is treated quickly with surgery for preventing damage to the skin and other tissues.

Scarring: The scars made due to cut during a face-lift procedure are permanent but generally hide by the hairline and natural contours of the ear and face. In very rare cases, the cuts can result in the raised, red scars. Injections of a corticosteroid medication or other treatments might be required for improving the appearance of scars on the body.

Nerve injury: Injury to nerves, these are very rare. It can temporarily or permanently affect nerves that control sensation or muscles of the face. Temporary paralysis of a selected muscle, results in temporary loss of sensation, in an uneven facial appearance or expression which can last up to a year. Surgical interventions may provide some improvement.

Hair loss: The patients might feel temporary or permanent hair loss near the incision areas. Permanent hair loss can be addressed with surgery for transplanting skin with hair follicles.

Skin loss: In a very rare case, a face-lift can disrupt the blood supply to their facial tissues. This can cause skin loss. Sloughing (skin loss) is treated with the help of medications, with appropriate wound care and, if required, a procedure for minimizing scarring.

Blood-thinning medications or supplements: Medicines or supplements that thin the blood can affect the patient’s blood's ability to clot and thus increasing the risk of hematomas after surgery being performed. These medications include aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ginseng, blood thinners (Coumadin, Plavix, others), fish oil, Ginkgo biloba, and others.

Smoking: Smoking can increase the risk of poor wound healing, hematomas and skin loss after a face-lift.

Weight fluctuation: If the patients have a history of repeated weight gain and loss, these factors affect the shape of the patient’s face and condition of their skin, the outcome of the surgery may not be sufficient or may be sufficient only for a short time.

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