Face Lift Surgery

Orange County Face Lifting Surgery

Facial rejuvenation is at the top of the list of the most common aesthetic surgical procedures performed by your surgeon at Orange County Plastic Surgery. Most people feel physically and mentally vigorous and energetic long after their appearance has begun to deteriorate due to aging. A face or neck lift procedure is designed to provide you with a rejuvenated appearance. The degree of improvement achieved depends on the severity of the initial deformity, the age of the patient, tissue elasticity and the recommended procedure.

A face lift or neck lift may be beneficial whenever you have excessive sagging of the facial or neck skin or underlying structures. In a younger patient with minimal sagging, the degree of improvement will be subtle, but frequently the result is extremely satisfying to the patient caring about personal appearance. In such a younger patient, one of the newer midface lifts with minimal external incisions may be recommended.

This is considered to be an operative procedure. Contrary to popular belief and despite newspaper and magazine stories, this is not as simple as having your hair set or having a facial. Also, contrary to many of the non-medical reports, it is not possible to remove all folds and eliminate any of the wrinkles of the face, regardless of the treatment applied. As a matter of fact, facelift surgery is designed to tighten lax or sagging tissues - not to remove wrinkles or folds. Patients who wish to have fine lines or wrinkles removed will have to consider a skin resurfacing procedure (e.g. laser or chemical peel) in addition to a facelift.

You must realize that your surgeon will tighten the sagging tissues as much as can be done safely to provide a natural result for your particular facial contour. The facelift procedure is directed toward improvement and does not remove each and every wrinkle or fold of the face. The type of skin, the age, and the aging rate of each patient, are factors that help determine your final result.

Face Lift Common Question

A common question regarding a facelift is "How long will it last?" This is impossible to state for a given individual, as there are many factors involved: continued sun exposure, the age of the patient, the patient's type of skin, healing ability, changes in weight, smoking history and general health of the patient. Your surgeon expects you to look better than had you not had a facelift for the rest of your life, but some laxity will return with time. As a matter of fact, the facial tissues continue to sag and loosen, at your natural rate, right after surgery. A small minority of patients, especially those who have a very marked degree of skin laxity in the neck area, will occasionally require a second facelift within a year of the initial procedure if optimal correction is to be achieved, but most patients receive sufficient improvement and only request one facelift during their lifetime. Skin aging continues after any operation – the best measure you can take to slow this process is to use sun block faithfully, and to take care of your skin with proper rejuvenating creams. Our office aesthetician will be glad to help you with a skin care program. This surgical procedure merely turns back the aging process; it cannot stop the “hands of time.” Your surgeon may be able to give you a good idea of what can be expected following surgery by working with our office digital imaging system and by manipulating your skin in front of a mirror.

Regardless of how tightly the facial tissues are pulled, aging and stretching of the facial skin begins to occur immediately after the operation. It is usual to see some recurrence of jowls or looseness of the neck within three months of the operation. You can, however, look forward to a significant degree of improvement permanently. Most patients have sufficient improvement following a face or neck lift, which keeps them looking younger than their friends forever. However, you may choose to have another facelift in future years to maintain a more youthful appearance. Your surgeon always tightens your muscles and skin as much as it is safe to do and cannot control how quickly any individual will sag. Regardless of how quickly you sag, each patient will be responsible for the cost of a subsequent procedure should the patient wish to repeat the operation.

To maximize the degree of rejuvenation, many patients will choose to undergo a brow lift, midface lift, microfat grafting, an eyelid procedure or laser skin resurfacing at the same operative setting.

This information has been assembled to familiarize you with the facts regarding facelift surgery. You are requested to read the following information thoroughly and to discuss any questions, which might arise with your surgeon before you proceed with the surgical procedure known as rhytidectomy. You are also requested to keep this information as a reference during your post- operative period.