Face Lift

As you age, your skin loses elasticity, and your facial structures start to descend. Effects of gravity and redistribution of fat change your facial contour. You develop jowls, deep folds around your mouth, your cheeks lose volume, and you lose the definition around your chin and neck.

Wrinkles and skin damage add to your aged look. Facelift or rhytidectomy is one of the most popular surgical procedures designed to restore a more youthful look to your face. Several different types of facelift procedures exist and your surgeon will design an individualized approach to your specific needs. A facelift can be combined with other procedures, most commonly neck lift, brow lift, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), and fat transfer.

A full facelift and neck lift will produce the following benefits:

• Tighten facial skin.
  
• Lift and add volume to the cheeks.
• Get rid of jowls.
• Improve the definition of the chin, neck, and jawline.
• Remove excess skin and fat from the chin and neck.
• Tighten loose neck muscles.

At Houston Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, your surgeons will design a customized surgical plan to address your facial aesthetic concerns and produce long-lasting natural-looking results you desire.

Facelift Consultation and Planning

Your surgeon will perform a thorough medical history and examine your face during your consultation. He or she will listen to your facial aesthetic concerns and will recommend the type of facelift procedure required to maximize your outcome. No two faces are alike, and thus a unique surgical plan is designed for each patient. Your surgeon may advise on several complementary procedures along with your surgical plan that will help produce the best aesthetic result. Fat transfer, using your own fat from abdomen or flank, may be used to help correct the distribution of facial fat and add much-needed volume that is lost with aging. Some patients elect to have additional facial procedures along with their facelift which most commonly includes brow lift, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, or a chemical peel. Your surgeon will discuss the advantages and risks of each procedure and formulate your surgical plan to produce the ultimate aesthetic result.

Facelift Procedure Description

Facelifts are performed in our outpatient certified surgical center under general anesthesia. Your surgeon will design an incision that is best suited for your individual need. The skin flap is raised and the underlying muscles and fat are tightened and lifted. Excess fat may be removed as needed in some locations, such as neck and chin. Then the skin is re-draped and the extra skin is removed. Fat is added to locations that need more volume, such as cheeks, deep facial grooves, and temples. The surgery typically takes 4 to 5 hours or longer, if additional procedures are performed, and you go home on the same day. Your face will be placed in a fluffy dressing after surgery, and you will return to the clinic the day after surgery for your first follow up appointment. Draining tubes may be used under the skin, they are typically removed on your first follow up visit.

Facelift Recovery

Post facelift discomfort is minimal and will be managed with oral pain medication. Close monitoring of your healing will be performed by your surgeon.

Things to keep in mind after your facelift:

• Do not drive while taking your pain medication.
• Don’t smoke for 1 month after surgery.
• Don’t lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk and don’t bend over as it may increase pressure and cause bleeding to your face.
• Sleep on several pillows to keep your head elevated.
• Use ice on your face for swelling.
• Once incisions are healed, you may start applying skincare products and makeup on your entire face.
• Keep your incisions protected from sunlight.

Sutures will be removed 5 to 7 days after surgery. You will have bruising and swelling for about 2 weeks which can be covered with makeup. You may have numbness over your cheek areas which will improve gradually over time. Patients typically return to work 1 to 2 weeks after their operation and aerobic exercise can be restarted one month after surgery.

Facelift Results

Our surgeons strive to produce natural-looking results with the goal of you looking as yourself only years younger. Your facelift results will be apparent immediately and will last for 5 to10 years. The procedure, however, does not stop the clock and aging will continue. You may need additional procedures several years later. To maintain your youthful appearance for years to come it is recommended that you continue with good skincare and sun protection. Additionally, minimally invasive procedures such as Botox injections and fillers can refresh your look with minimal downtime.

You can have a natural-looking, revitalized, and more youthful face for years to come with a customized facelift done by our highly-trained surgeons at Houston Dermatology and Plastic Surgery.