As you age, the skin and tissues covering your body will lose their elasticity, leading to sagging skin and wrinkles. However, facelift surgery, often referred to as a rhytidectomy, is used to lift and tighten these skin tissues to reduce folds or wrinkles. It doesn’t typically include eye, brow or neck lifts, though they can happen during the same surgery.

Facelift surgery involves the bottom two-thirds of your face, with people having many reasons for getting them, though skin aging is one of the top reasons. Are you a good candidate for facelift surgery? This includes being healthy without medical conditions that impact surgery recovery or wound healing, not misusing substances or smoking, and having realistic expectations from the surgery.

Facelift surgery is a cosmetic process that has no medical need behind it, though it could be done at the same time as a medical surgery to reduce overall costs. It removes excess skin, tightens the skin, and smooths folds or wrinkles. However, there are risks involved with any surgery, and making time and effort to prepare for and recover from the surgery can help reduce your risk of complications and increase your chances of success. Ready to discuss your options? Contact us today for a consultation.

How does facelift surgery work?

The process will depend on what you’re having done, but starts with incisions near the hairline at the temples, around the ears and near the hairline behind the ears, which disguises any light scarring later on. During facelift surgery, the plastic surgeon will reposition the fat and tissue that is under your skin to smooth out creases, remove excess sagging skin, and lift and tighten facial skin. At the same time, underlying muscle and connective tissue are tightened and redistributed.

Sutures often use dissolvable sutures or surgical glue, and it’s common to leave the surgery with a drainage tube to help reduce swelling as well as bandaging to protect the face.

How long will facelift surgery results last?

Though it’s very natural to wonder whether it’s worth going through the process, the vast majority of patients love their results and continue to do so for many years. But with so many things in life, the answer to this question is “it depends”. A mini-facelift will provide results from 3-7 years, while a full facelift typically delivers strong results for 10-15 years, though you’ll still enjoy firmer skin past that point. However, it very much depends on the care you give your skin during that time. Frequent tanning, failing to moisturize, resuming smoking, drinking or using substances, and similar lifestyle issues all increase aging.

If you would like to set up a consultation with Dr. Plank to see if facelift surgery is right for you, please give us a call today at 407-960-6936.

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