Face Lift, Neck Lift

The facelift procedure is performed to lift and elevate the skin and soft tissue of the jowls and neck. Patients who desire to remove all of the so called “turkey neck” are often ideal candidates for the facelift procedure.

Loss of skin elasticity and firmness, sagging tissue and wrinkles are due to facial aging. Visible signs of aging can greatly impact how we feel about ourselves and how others see us. The loss of youthful contours is due to a variety of factors including heredity, gravity and stress. If you are bothered by the signs of aging, a facelift may be right for you. The facelift procedure corrects sagging facial skin and muscles, removes excess fat and restores firmness to create a more youthful, rested and vibrant appearance thus improving your image and self-confidence. The goal of surgery is to elevate and restore your facial contour by correcting all of the aging features, improve skin tone and underlying muscle. The results of the facelift procedure can last 7-10 years or longer depending on a patient’s lifestyle and sun exposure.

CANDIDATE OF FACELIFT PROCEDURE

The best candidates are healthy non-smokers who have a positive outlook and realistic goals in mind. At the time of your consultation, your goals, the procedure, and routine postoperative healing process will be explained in detail and all of your questions answered. Your medical history will be reviewed to ensure you are a healthy candidate for surgery.

THE FACELIFT PROCEDURE

The facelift procedure is a highly individualize procedure including the traditional facelift as well as the mid-face lift, short scar facelift and weekend-type facelift depending on your goals and anatomy, which are factors in determining the best approach for you. For the traditional facelift procedure, skin incisions are made behind and around the ear going below the sideburn hair so as not to give an unnatural or windblown look from lifting the sideburn hair too high. Fat may be sculpted from the face, jowls and neck and underlying tissue is repositioned. Skin is re-draped over the uplifted contours and excess skin is trimmed away. A second incision under the chin may be necessary to further improve an aging or so called “turkey neck”. We may use tumescent anesthesia and fine cannula liposuction to remove unwanted fat in the area of the jowls and neck. Manipulation of muscle is performed using internal sutures to reposition skin and muscle, and sutures that are permanent or absorbable are used inside the skin to hold the tissue in the new position. Sutures that are fine dissolve in 7-10 days and are placed on the visible skin; sutures in the hairline may dissolve or require removal on a postoperative visit. A modern wound healing product known as platelet rich plasma is a substance harvested from your blood after you are sedated. When platelet rich plasma is sprayed onto the tissues it seals small bleeding vessels and acts like glue, sticking tissue surfaces together during the wound healing process. Substance in the solution helps to decrease bruising and helps speed up the healing process.

A “tuck” or mini facelift is what we recommend for our prior facelift patients when they desire further improvement after 5-7 years from their original procedure. This short procedure can be done under local or light sedation and the recovery is fast with minimal bruising and swelling.

Many additional procedures can be performed at the same time as the facelift including browlift, eyelids, chin implants, fat grafts and chemical peels. The facelift procedure is performed on an out patient basis taking 3-6 hours depending on the number of procedures and is done under general anesthesia. If the patient has multiple procedures done, Dr. Lynam requires that a nurse go home with you for 24 hours to help assist you with your postoperative care. A drain tube us placed to remove any excess blood that may collect under the skin and is removed 24 hours after surgery. A loose bulky dressing is applied around your face to help minimize swelling and bruising.

AFTER SURGERY

You will come to the office the day after surgery to have your drain and dressing removed. You will be swollen, bruised and sore for several weeks following surgery. It may take several months for the swelling to dissipate and six months for your incision line to completely heal. Facial movement may be temporarily restricted and you may experience some numbness; these are common conditions and should resolve over several weeks. You will need to keep your head elevated at all times until the initial swelling has subsided. Any sutures that do not dissolve are removed one week after surgery. Healing will continue for at least several more weeks as swelling resolves and incision lines continue to improve. You will be given specific postoperative instructions including cleansing of your face, hair and incisions. Please follow all of the instructions given to you very carefully as this is essential to the success of your outcome. Scars created to perform the facelift procedure are permanent and fade with time. Cosmetics can be used to camouflage any bruising that remains. You will always need to wear sunscreen to help you to maintain your rejuvenated skin and appearance by preventing sun damage. You may return to light activity within a few days of surgery. You may return to work 2 weeks after surgery, feeling rejuvenated with a more youthful appearance.

The best way to determine if you are a good candidate for the facelift procedure is to schedule a consultation. You will learn what are reasonable expectations for the goals you wish to achieve to create a more youthful, rested appearance helping you feel more confident about yourself.