What Is A Facelift?

Facelift refers to a facial rejuvenation procedure which aims to reverse the signs of aging. There are many techniques for face-lifts from minimally invasive procedures which can be performed on awake patients in the office to extensive facelifts which require more anesthesia. The more extensive the facelift, the longer the expected results and the greater the improvement in appearance. The tradeoff is that more extensive facelifts will incur a greater cost and longer recovery time.

Regardless of the extent of facelift performed, the incisions madeare generally the same.  In certain patients, the length of theincision can be limited though generally an incision in front of the ear is required. These incisions are designed to minimize the long term scar and will usually heal with only a minimal line. It is important to ask your physician where the incisions will be placed as some incisions will be more visible than others.

Because facial rejuvenation procedures are individualized for each patient, no single facelift applies to every patient. What is colloquially referred to as a facelift actually refers to a lower facelift aimed at addressing the neck and jowl area. When referring to facelifts, the face is divided into three areas: the forehead, the midface, and the lower face and neck. 

The midface refers to the area from just above the lips to the eyes. A midface lift helps to move the cheeks back into their natural position. It will also help to improve the nasolabial folds, the deep lines that run from the side of the nose to the mouth. There are two general approaches to the midface either through an incision in the lower eyelid or from an incision in the hairline. An additional incision may be necessary in the mouth.A qualified surgeon can talk about the suggested incisions and benefits of both approaches.

The forehead or brow lift helps to raise the eyebrows and smooth some of the wrinkles of the forehead. There are several approaches to the brow lift. A surgeon will be better able to talk with you about the possible alternatives depending on your hair style and your goals.

The key to any facial rejuvenation procedure is tailoring the wide array of choices to produce the best result based on the patient’s expectations. A realistic understanding of results that the surgeon can attain and the patient expects are key to a successful surgery. 

It is important to choose a face lift surgeonwho has training and certification in the procedures you are considering. Research should be done to ensure that the surgeon is qualified in the procedures they offer. Once a surgeon is chosen, care should be taken to clearly outline expectations for the procedures during the preoperative consultation. The surgeon should be able to tell if they think they can attain the desired results. While surgeons can generally define their expected results, realize that  cosmeticsurgery is as much an art as a science and final results are affected by many factors.