Facelift in CA section, includes general infrmation about Facelift Procedure, Facelift CA Local News, Facelift CA Surgeon Locator and other Facelift related material.
Facelift Procedure
As we become older the gravity, sun exposure and everyday stress leave their marks on our faces. Wrinkles appear between the nose and the mouse, the skin becomes lose and drop below the jaw line and extra fat and skin accumulates around the neck. Facelift cannot stop the aging process but it can "turn back time" by removing extra skin and fat and straitening the muscles.
The ideal candidates for the procedure are patients with skin of the face and neck that started to drop but still has its elasticity.
The operation last from 3-7 hours (it can be longer if additional procedures are done). Some surgeons prefer to work on each side at a time and some do both sides simultaneously. The placement of the cuts and the magnitude of the operation depend on face structure and the correction required. The cut usually starts on the forehead goes in front of the ear and behind the ear lobe, additional cut below the chin is made to repair the neck. The surgeon separates the skin from the fat, removes the extra fat, strengthens the muscles and returns the fat pockets where they use to be. Afterwards he stretches the skin, cuts the extra and closes with sutures. A drainage tube usually left from both sides to draine secretions and blood and the face is bandaged for the first 24 hours.
Every operation has its risks although not common those include, bleeding, infection, damage to facial nerves (usually temporal), face asymmetry and delayed healing. Patients who smoke have higher rates of delayed healing.
There may be pain or uncomfortable felling after the recovery that can be treated with painkillers. A sensation of ants crawling usually disappears after weeks or a month after the surgery. Bandages are removed after a day or two and your face may look swollen. Red or pale with bleeding spots, you must remember that those will disappear after few days or weeks.
You can get out of bed after 24 hours but you should avoid any efforts for at least a week to help the healing process. You should avoid alcohol, hot tubs and saunas for at least a month. Most of the patients feel disappointed at first, their face look and feel strange but after a few weeks the scars will heal and you'll be able to see the final results. Many patients return to work after 3 weeks. Sometimes you may need to use make up to blur the hemorrhage spots.