Facelift

Over time, gravity and sun exposure take their toll on the face and neck. Deep creases that run from each side of the nose to the corners of the mouth appear, the jawline slackens, and the neck develops loose folds and fat deposits. Rhytidectomy, or facelift surgery, counteracts these signs of aging by tightening muscle, removing fat, and trimming excess skin.

A facelift improves the look of the lower and middle areas of the face and the neck. It is most effective for correcting the following:

• Mid-face sagging
• Deep creases under the eyes
• Nasolabial folds
• Jowls
• Sagging fat
• Loose skin and fat under the chin and jaw

Although a facelift removes or reduces signs of aging, they will gradually reappear over time. A facelift does not improve the look of the brow, eyelids, and nose, and some parts of the mid-face. A patient who wants to improve those areas might combine their procedure with a brow lift or eyelid surgery, and/or with injectable soft-tissue fillers, facial implants, and skin resurfacing.

Candidates for Facelift Surgery

The best candidates for a facelift want to correct one or more of the signs of aging indicated above. They typically have some elasticity in their skin despite facial sagging, are generally healthy, do not smoke, and have realistic expectations about what the surgery can and cannot do. The patient’s motivation is also important. The most satisfied patients are those who pursue the procedure for their own internal benefits rather than due to external pressure from someone else.

Types of Facelifts

A facelift is typically performed as an outpatient procedure in an office-based facility, surgery center, or hospital. Patients may have a choice of IV sedation or general anesthesia. The procedure takes about 2 hours. The way a facelift is performed depends on the patient’s facial structure and the extent of correction desired.

Traditional Facelift

A traditional facelift rejuvenates the face, jowls and neck, and includes sculpting and redistributing of fat, lifting and repositioning of muscle and deeper tissues, and trimming and re-draping of skin. The incision begins at the temples and travels down to the front of the ear, around the earlobe, and behind the ear to the lower scalp at the hairline. Sometimes, another incision is made under the chin.

Limited-Incision Facelift

A limited-incision or ‘short scar’ facelift improves the area around the eyes and mouth by reducing nasolabial folds and other deep creases. Short incisions are made at the temples and around the ear, and possibly in the lower eyelids and/or under the upper lip.

In both methods, incisions are closed with stitches or tissue glue. Scars are hidden in the hairline and natural contours of the face.

Recovery From Facelift Surgery

After a facelift, Dr. Demsey wraps the incisions in bandages and may insert drainage tubes; if so, they are taken out the next day. If surgical clips are holding some incisions closed, they are removed, along with any stitches, 1 week after the procedure.

Post-facelift, swelling, numbness, bruising, and a feeling of tightness or tension in the face and neck may be felt. The face may look uneven or distorted, and facial muscles may feel stiff. Most of these side effects resolve within 3 to 6 weeks, and sensation typically returns to normal within a few months. Scars become less red, raised, lumpy, and itchy over time.

Many patients return to work by the third week. Camouflage cosmetics can be used to minimize the appearance of bruising once the skin has fully healed.

Facelift Results

Facelift results are not permanent, and some patients choose to undergo another surgery in 5 or 10 years. In some sense, however, the effects are permanent; years later, the face continues to look better than if a facelift had not been performed.

Risks Associated with Facelift Surgery

Possible complications of a facelift include bleeding, infection, bruising, swelling or discoloration, allergic reaction to the anesthesia, skin blistering (usually only in smokers), nerve injury, and temporary or permanent loss of sensation in the face.

To find out if you are a good candidate for a facelift at our Calgary, Alberta, practice, request a consultation online or call Demsey Plastic Surgery at (403) 209-4333.