The ideal candidates to undergo a facelift are those women or men whose face and neck begin to "fall", but whose skin still has some elasticity. Most patients are between 40 and 60, but can also be successfully performed between 70 and 80 years. A facelift can make you look younger and to increase self-confidence, but will not provide a completely different look, nor can restore your health and vitality.

Good communication between you and your plastic surgeon is essential. In the first query will evaluate your face, including the skin and underlying bone structures and surgical possibilities will be discussed. Your condition will be checked including problems that may complicate the surgery, such as high blood pressure, clotting problems or scarring. It is important to tell your surgeon if you smoke or are taking medication, especially Aspirin.

If you decide to undergo a facelift the doctor will explain the techniques and the type of anesthesia to be used, where the surgery, the risks and the cost of the intervention was performed. Your plastic surgeon will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on food and fluid intake, or taking snuff or deletion of medicines and vitamins and face wash. It is important to stop smoking at least one or two weeks before surgery. If you wear short hair, you may want to grow it before surgery to better hide the scars while they heal.

Careful compliance surgery will be performed in better conditions. Furthermore, they have a relative or companion can get you home when given the high and, if necessary, can help lift some days. The facelift is always done in the operating room, sure in a clinic or hospital. Normally, the patient remains in the clinic overnight after surgery, leaving the hospital the next day.

The lift can be performed under local anesthesia, or what is more frequent, under general anesthesia, depending on the complexity of the surgery and the preferences of your surgeon. If done under local anesthesia and sedation, the patient feels relaxed and the face is insensitive to pain; general anesthesia the patient is asleep during the operation.
A facelift usually lasts several hours. Incisions usually begin at the temples, hidden in the hair, spread over a natural line that runs right in front of the ears and continue behind the earlobe to the back of the scalp. If you need to work on the neck, you can make a small incision behind the chin. Oily skin and underlying muscles is generally separated. The fat can be removed or liposuctioned around the neck and chin to improve the contour of the face. After surgery, can be placed for a few days, a small tube behind the ear to drain any fluid that might accumulate.

There is usually little discomfort after surgery; if any, is easily relieved with medication prescribed by your surgeon (if it presented severe or persistent pain should tell your surgeon). It is common for certain areas of the skin numb; this feeling disappears in a few weeks or months. You should keep your head elevated for several days after surgery to reduce swelling. If you have placed drainage tubes, they were removed in a few days; the bandages are removed from the first to the fifth day after the facelift.

By swelling and redness of the early days aspect do not be surprised; remember that in a few weeks will be normal appearance. Most stitches are removed after five days; the stitches or staples are removed hair later.

Most patients who undergo a lifting are well in 2 days, but should rest during the first week. Be especially careful with face and hair, as they will be more sensitive for a while. While your plastic surgeon will provide specific instructions, some recommendations are: avoid strenuous activity for at least two weeks, avoid steam baths or saunas for several weeks and limit sun exposure for several months.

Especially rest and allow your body to use all his energy to good healing. At first, your face may seem strange because of swelling and facial movements may seem slow. Some bruising may persist for 2-3 weeks and you may tire more easily. By the third week it will look much better. Most patients return to work between 10 days and two weeks after surgery. If necessary, you can apply makeup to hide the bruises.

When the lift is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon, complications are infrequent and minor. But each person has a specific anatomy, a physical reactions and capabilities of different cure, and therefore the results are not absolutely predictable. There may be some complications such as hematoma, injury, almost always temporary, of the nerves that control facial muscles, infection and reactions to anesthesia. Healing problems are more common in smokers. You can minimize risks carefully follow the instructions of your plastic surgeon, both before and after surgery.

The results are very satisfactory and will be happy as long as you understand that the result is not immediate. Even after the swelling and bruises are gone, the hair around the temples may be thin and skin to be somewhat dry and rough for several months. Facelift scars will remain hidden behind the hair in the natural folds of the face; in any case they will decrease with time getting inconspicuous.
A facelift does not stop the clock; your face will continue to age as time goes on, may even want to undergo another facelift after 5 or 10 years. However, the results are lasting; after several years will continue looking younger.

The facelift or "lifting" is a procedure designed to tighten facial and neck skin to reduce wrinkles or folds. The bone structure of the face, the muscles and skin texture suffers involution over the years. In addition there are hereditary factors, eating habits, stress, prolonged sun exposure, etc., which substantially alter the signs of aging facial. Facelift usually treats the skin of the neck and cheeks, but sometimes also corrected forehead wrinkles and lowering of the eyebrows.

Facelift can be performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia and sedation, depending on each particular case (more or less extensive surgery, personal wishes of the patient, etc.).
Incisions of this operation are performed on the scalp in the frontal and temporal regions around the ears and end in the next to the neck area. Through these incisions, the surgeon makes a more or less extensive skin detachment, in order to be able to get the same tension. Using the same approach, the surgeon can reduce fat deposits and tighten muscles that have become flaccid, giving the face a firmer appearance.

After the intervention, which usually lasts between 2 and 4 hours, depending on the extent of it and if treatment of the eyelids, liposuction, etc. is done, some drains are placed to reduce the possibility of bruising and reduce inflammation.

Postoperatively a variable degree of swelling of the face and neck, ecchymosis or bruising and feeling of tightness and numbness were observed. These annoyances are temporary. Most of the scars are hidden in the scalp above the temple and to the neck. Only in an area around the ear and in the first weeks after surgery, scars may notice something, which, moreover, can be easily concealed with hairstyle.

After 5-6 days begins to remove the stitches, ending process of performing at 8-10 days. Usually, the third postoperative week can make a normal life, incorporating even their professional task.


The information contained on this website in no case, nor intended, to replace the information provided individually by your plastic surgeon. If in doubt, your plastic surgeon will provide appropriate clarifications.