Cosmetic Face Lift Surgery
A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is a plastic surgery procedure used to firm and smooth the skin around the jawline, cheeks, forehead, eyes, nose, mouth and neck. This type of plastic surgery reduces loose or saggy facial skin and wrinkles that are caused by aging
Several different facelift techniques exist, and the best one for you will depend on the degree of wrinkling and sagging, the location of the trouble spots, your skin’s elasticity and the shape of your face. The best procedure results in natural-looking lift, smoothness and reshaping, while minimizing the degree of scarring.
Ideal candidates for rhytidectomy will be healthy both physically and mentally, and have realistic expectations about the procedure.Good facial skin flexibility and elasticity combined with a well-defined bone structure also help to create the best results. Now, however, advanced techniques in facial rejuvenation can help even those patients with severe ptosis (sagging) or bone structure issues.
Traditional facelift surgery, when performed correctly by a qualified cosmetic surgeon, is by far the most effective way to address wrinkled and sagging skin on the entire face. This technique, though invasive, offers long-lasting and rather striking improvement. During the procedure, a facial cosmetic surgeon separates the skin from underlying tissue; excess skin is removed and sutures are used to hold the skin in its new position. Recovery can be long (several weeks or months), and patients may have permanent scars in the hairline and in front of the ears, although many patients can successfully hide them.
This variation of the traditional facelift procedure corrects deep folds around the mouth and nose. The surgeon will remove excess fat, tighten the underlying muscles and reposition the skin on the face and neck. The incisions made are deep, and facial plastic surgeons warn their patients that there will likely be more swelling after this surgery than with other facelift techniques.
Some facial problems such as creases around the mouth and nose, frown lines, saggy cheeks or downturned lips can be treated with endoscopic, or “scarless”, facelift techniques. This procedure uses three or more small incisions above the hairline or behind the ear, made with the help of a thin wand-like camera device (endoscope) and small surgical instruments. Endoscopic facelifts offer a much shorter recovery time and significantly lower risk of complications.
Mid facelift surgery targets bags under the eyes, the cheeks, and wrinkles around the nose, eyes, and corners of the mouth. During a traditional mid facelift, an upward lift is generated using small, deep incisions camoflauged in the lower lash line and in folds of skin around the nose.Endoscopic mid face lift techniques can create both a vertical and diagonal “lift” using small incisons hidden in the hair close to the temples. Patients undergoing mid facelifts will need about one week to recover and will enjoy less swelling and bruising than those undergoing more traditional surgeries.
A lower facelift can correct sagging and wrinkles in the bottom one-third of the face. One technique, called the S lower face lift technique, creates a small, s-shaped scar just in front of the ear.With the SMAS lower facelift technique, the skin and muscles of the cheek aer repositioned using an incision that starts at the temple and swoops around the ear.During both the S and SMAS techniques, skin is separated from the underlying tissue, excess fat is removed, and skin and muscles are tightened.
The mini facelift, also known as a “weekend” facelift, can be used to reduce minor sagging around the neck, jawline and cheeks.As the name suggests, this procedure makes use of very small incisions, and has a short recovery period.
The thread facelift procedure reduces minor sagging in the cheeks, jawline and neck without the use of anesthesia.With this surgery, doctors use thin threads inserted into tiny incisions which are attached to the skin and then pulled back to create the lift.This procedure causes minimal scarring (if any), and the threads remain hidden beneath the skin.
Despite the technique your doctor performs be sure to choose a trained cosmetic surgeons, as doing so can help to ensure that you have the best results possible.