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FACELIFT
A facelift smoothes the loose skin on your face and neck, tightens underlying tissues and removes excess fat. As a result, your face will appear firmer and fresher. The purpose of a facelift is to maintain a youthful appearance. The procedure removes sagging skin from the face and neck and reduces wrinkling. Repositioning skin over the facial bones is also important in achieving the best look. Besides the desire for a youthful appearance, there are economic, social and psychological reasons. An improved appearance can bolster sagging self-esteem and give a person a new outlook on life. One of our former clients who was unemployed at the time of her surgery swears she was hired and got a high-paying job because of her new, younger look.
The facelift operation is most effective in eliminating sagging, redundant skin around the jowls and upper neck. While some improvement in the deep creases extending from the base of the nose to the corner of the mouth can be expected, deep creases require ancillary measures. Ideal candidates exhibit resilient, firm, smooth and well hydrated skin. Facelift surgery does not improve fine wrinkles, and patients with this problem must understand this limitation. The ideal candidate is in his or her forties to sixties and exhibits early or moderately advanced degrees of facial aging such as jowl formation, banding or sagging skin in the anterior portion of the neck. Patients in this age group are also more likely to have the skin qualities discussed above.
With the use of mirrors, the patient's facial features are reviewed and analyzed prior to surgery. Particular emphasis is placed on the areas to be corrected, and on associated defects that the patient may not have noticed. Failure to point out such areas before the operation may result in disappointment during the postoperative period when the entire face is carefully scrutinized. The location and extent of the scars that will result from the operation are discussed and the process of scar maturation is described. Possible complications are explained, and the patient is encouraged to ask questions about things he or she does not fully understand. An informed consent agreement giving the surgeon permission to perform the operation is then executed.
The average patient experiences little pain or discomfort following facelift surgery. On the contrary the face is usually numb because of the injury to small nerve fibers that supply the skin. Regeneration of these fibers begins immediately, and is usually completed in six to twelve weeks. The patient is usually told to stay in bed and keep as quiet as possible to minimize the possibility of bleeding under the skin. A liquid to soft diet is usually prescribed for forty-eight hours. The surgical dressing is usually removed the day after the operation and, if rubber drains were placed beneath the skin, they are also removed at this time. Before these dressings are removed, the patient is warned that her face will appear swollen and locally discolored. The sutures in front of the ear are removed on the fifth postoperative day, and the sutures in the scalp region on the seventh to tenth day.
"Thanks for the great job on my face. I told my friends that you did the work."
J.S. - St. Croix Falls, MN
Serious complications rarely occur. The convalescence of most patients is uneventful. The most common complication is bleeding beneath the undermined facial skin that results in formation of a localized collection of blood called hematoma. This occurs in about 3 percent of facelifts performed on women and 5 percent of male patients and is easily corrected.
Most patients are completely back to normal by the end of two weeks. Virtually all can't wait to get back to work or to socialize and see friends. They love to hear the positive comments about their new look.
HERE ARE FOUR OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR FACELIFT
How long does a facelift take?
The facelift/necklift procedure takes approximately 2 to 3 hours and is performed on an out-patient basis with a local anesthetic and intravenous sedation.
How long do I stay at the surgical facility?
Patients experience little pain and minimal discomfort and are usually home by early afternoon.
How often do I see the doctor after the procedure is completed?
Dr. Johnson will request post operative visits on the first and second day for dressing changes. On the morning of the fourth or fifth day, the patients can remove their own dressing and shampoo their hair, and then return to Dr. Johnson's office for removal of a few sutures. By the following week, usually by the 10th day, the remaining sutures are removed.
Follow-up visits will be scheduled at three week to six week intervals following your surgery and every three months thereafter for a year.
How soon can I return to work?
Patients usually return to work within seven to fourteen days and can resume all normal activities within four weeks. With the new short-scar facelift, called the "S-Lift," most patients return to work in 3 to 5 days. This procedure is ideal for those who have had a previous facelift but need only a "little lift" to restore a more youthful and fresh appearance.
"Since my facelift, I don't have to hide my neck anymore with high collars and turtlenecks. You did everything you promised."
J.L. - Minneapolis
MINI-LIFT
Perhaps one of the most gratifying cosmetic surgery procedures performed today is known as the "mini-lift." The best candidates for this procedure are those who do not have excessive loose skin on the neck region and those who have had a previous facelift and the facial tissues are beginning to sag again.
A more youthful and rested appearance can be restored by this one hour out-patient procedure. Bandages are required for only one day and most patients return to work in three days. The sutures are well-concealed and removed in seven to ten days. Normal activity can be resumed within two weeks. There is minimal swelling and bruising which, if it occurs, is similar to the S-Lift but not as extensive or costly.
Call for a free consultation with Dr. Johnson and give yourself a "lift."
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