Your Facelift Questions Answered

Posted on 30. Jul, 2009 in Surgical Procedures

Most likely, you have heard of a facelift. You may even know a little about the procedure. In addition, there is a chance that you know someone who has had the surgery. However, how often do you get a chance to have your questions answered? Too often, you concerns are not addressed until you meet with your surgeon.

Although there are many, in depth questions that only a plastic surgeon can answer, here you will find responses of some of the most common inquiries.

What does a facelift do? The procedure tightens the overall loose skin on the face. As people age, their skin looses and loses elasticity, and this causes wrinkles. A facelift is most often done in conjunction with other facial procedures.

What procedures do people usually pair with a facelift? Many people choose to have an eyelid lift done at the same time, since a facelift cannot smooth away the sagging pockets on the upper eyelid.

Often, people also have a form of liposuction done on their chin to remove any double chin issues. Some people also like to include laser resurfacing or other skin smoothing procedures to lessen scarring and discolorations from age.

What kind of pain will I experience? This will depend on the extent of the surgery. Some people choose to undergo a minor lifting, which involves minimal, easy to control pain.

More in-depth facelifts do involve some pain since the skin of the face has to heal and re-adhere. There will be swelling and bruising. The recovery period can be several weeks, depending on the extent of the surgery.

Will the facelift last? The results of a facelift can last for many years. However, you must keep something in mind. No matter what, you will still get older. This means that, no matter how tight the skin is, it will begin to loosen again over time.

A facelift could last many years, or it could lead to a second surgery seven or eight years down the road. As long as you understand that you will continue to age, then you will appreciate the benefits of the procedure.

Will I have bad scars? The scarring should be very easy to hide underneath hair and makeup. However, when you are healing, you must make sure to follow the surgeon’s orders about activity. Too much strain too soon could lead to worse scarring. Otherwise, you should have very small fairly unnoticeable scars.