With modern treatment, wrinkled and loosed skin will be smoothed and sagging jowls will be eliminated. Cheeks that once sagged will be improved, and deep lines will be decreased. The results will last 5 to 15 years and the incisions will be well hidden to minimize their appearance.
A plastic surgery facelift is a procedure involving the removal of excess fat, tightening of muscles, and re-draping of facial skin, allowing for a more youthful appearance. With aging comes less elasticity, especially in the facial region.
Loose skin on the neck and sagging skin around the jaw line can begin to look unsightly. This is the time to best choose the option of receiving a rhytidectomy, or facelift.
Procedure
The technique involved in a plastic surgery facelift allows for the incision to begin at the temporal region, above the hairline. It will then extend inside the front of the ear, and finalize behind the ear into the hairline.
Fat deposits and tissues are divided, then the skin is stretched and tightened, and excess skin is removed. The thick layer of tissue under the facial skin is tightened by using permanent stitches. If the neckline requires attention, a further incision is cut and the same procedure is repeated. Tiny sutures are utilized to close the incision site to help minimize the scarring of a plastic surgery facelift.
Costs
There are three costs involved with a plastic surgery facelift operation: the surgeon’s fee, the facility fee and the anesthesia fee. On average, the cost of facelift cosmetic surgery ranges from $6,000 to $15,000. The cost of anesthesia ranges from $1,000 to $1,300, and the facility fee ranges from $500 to $2,000. The remaining cost is the surgeon’s fee.
Risks and Complications
Plastic surgery facelifts often produce infrequent complications, but they do exist. Few complications require additional surgery.
Complications may cause permanent deformity, inconvenience, discomfort, abnormal scarring, and slow healing. Serious complications such as skin death and blisters are commonly seen in smokers, as smoking increases complications. Plastic surgery facelift scars will be permanent; however, the incisions are placed in undetected areas.
Recovery
Bruising and swelling of the face will occur and are normal reactions that will disappear after two to three weeks. The plastic surgeon will require a follow-up visit a few days after the procedure is complete.
During this appointment, the plastic surgeon will remove any drainage tubes used and check underneath bandages. A few days later, most sutures will be removed, whereas clips or sutures along the hairline may require additional healing.
Resuming normal activities can generally be accomplished around the one-week period after your plastic surgery facelift. Your doctor will give instructions concerning facial numbness and the need to avoid working with the hairline area and face. A patient will be allowed to return to work within two weeks of the initial examination.