Exploring the Facelift Process

The face is one of the first places to show signs of aging. Your youthful contours may have diminished in recent years due to thinning skin, loss of facial fat, sun damage, smoking, stress and genetics.

If you’re tired of looking older than you really are, consider getting a facelift. Also known as a rhytidectomy, a facelift reverses the visible signs of aging in your face and neck, including sagging skin, deepening fold lines, jowls and “turkey neck.” Here’s what the process entails.

Administer Anesthesia

For your comfort during the surgery, your doctor will recommend either intravenous (IV) sedation or general anesthesia.

Make the Incisions

Depending on the area you want to target and the degree of change you hope to achieve, you may opt for a traditional facelift, limited incision facelift or neck lift. The incisions differ for each one.

Traditional facelifts

The primary incision is positioned in the hairline near the temples. It continues in front of the ear and ends at the lower scalp. A second incision may be necessary under the chin to further reduce the signs of aging in the neck.

Limited incision facelifts

Also called “mini-lifts,” limited incision facelifts are designed for people with less skin sagging. A shorter incision is made at the temples and contours around the front of the ear. The results are less dramatic than a traditional facelift, but the recovery time is also shorter.

Neck lifts

The purpose of a neck lift is to address sagging jowls, loose neck skin and fatty areas below the chin. The incision for a neck lift begins in front of the earlobe, wraps behind the ear and ends at the lower scalp.

Perform the Facelift

Along with lifting deep facial muscles and tissues, a facelift may include sculpting or redistributing fat from the face, jowls and neck. Skin is draped over the newly uplifted contours of the face, and excess skin is trimmed away.

Close the Incisions

Once the surgery is complete, the incisions are closed with skin adhesives or sutures, which may dissolve on their own or require removal after a few days. Once the incisions heal, the scars are effectively concealed within the hairline and along the natural contours of the ear.

Trust Your Plastic Surgeon

While it’s easy to get caught up in researching facelift processes and procedures, your plastic surgeon’s experience and skill level are far more critical factors. Many surgeons master one or two techniques that work perfectly for a vast majority of patients. That’s why, during your consultation, you should focus on the proven results a surgeon can deliver, not the exact surgical techniques used to achieve them.

A facelift is an effective way to take a decade off your appearance. Select a board-certified plastic surgeon and trust their judgment to increase the odds of being completely satisfied with the new you!

For an individual consultation on how a facelift can help improve your appearance, please contact Dr. Mark Schusterman, our plastic surgeon in Houston.