FACELIFT SURGERY

As you age, your facial muscles slacken and your skin becomes less elastic, creating folds and lines. A facelift is a surgical procedure that makes the face tighter and smoother by lifting up the facial skin and tissues and/or the underlying muscle. A facelift can give you a more alert and youthful appearance by reducing saggy skin and wrinkles.

What type of facelift is right for me?

We offer several facelift options at Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery ranging from a mini facelift (also known as an S-Lift or weekend facelift) to a full facelift. Your procedure selected will be based on your desired outcome and individual needs.

In general, the more significant your facial laxity and excess skin, the longer the incisions need to be in order to remove an appropriate amount of skin. Patients with minimal laxity and early jowling or excessive neck skin are good candidates for a mini face lift. Most patients with a greater amount of excess skin would enjoy a more dramatic result from a full face lift. These procedures can also be combined with eyelid surgery, and various brow-lifting techniques to give a more harmonious result to the entire face. You will be able to meet with your surgeon to discuss which options are best for you.

How is a facelift performed?

Many of the facelifts we offer can be performed under local anesthesia. Your surgeon will make a surgical cut right around your hairline, past the front of your ears. Cuts may also be made under your chin if you want to lift a sagging jawline. Incisions are placed in such a way to keep them well camouflaged along the contours of the ear, and hidden at the hairlines. Your skin is carefully separated from the underlying facial muscles. Excess fat is removed and the muscles are tightened. The skin is then pulled and stitched back to the line where the cut was initially made.

What is a mini facelift?

A mini facelift is ideal for younger patients with early sagging and relatively less laxity who are looking for a natural-looking lift in the lower face or neck areas. Compared to a full facelift, it is a quicker operation with fewer complications and a quicker recovery.

Using a special anesthetic solution which is injected into the area forward of the ears, the skin is gently lifted from the underlying tissue. Operating on one side of the face at a time, a narrow S-shaped section of skin from the area forward of the ear is excised. The skin is lifted and the underlying muscles and tissues are tightened and repositioned, excess fat is removed, and the opening is closed using fine sutures.

What should I expect after a facelift?

After your surgery, your face is tightly wrapped in bandages. Depending on the exact procedure carried out, these may run under your chin, around your ears and/or over your head. They are usually taken off after a day or two. Dissolvable stitches will disappear on their own in seven to ten days. Non-dissolvable stitches are removed a week after surgery.

Most people can return to work after about two weeks. To help promote your recovery, it's important that you minimize your exposure to the sun and refrain from any vigorous activity for four to five weeks following your surgery.

The effects of a facelift last for about seven to ten years. The best results are achieved if you maintain a stable body weight, have skin with good levels of elasticity, and have a strong bone structure.

Schedule your free consultation today to find out more about a facelift.