What is Face Lift Surgery ?
BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery), 10 years of experience
What is the meaning of Face Lift Surgery?
A facelift or rhytidectomy is a surgical procedure that tightens and lifts the facial tissues which may have naturally lost their elasticity due to age. Facelift surgery helps in making the face appear younger. It is a procedure done for repairing the drooping, sagging, and wrinkled skin of the face and the neck. A neck lift or platysmaplasty is often done along with a facelift to reduce the saggy skin and the fat deposits on the neck. In this article, we will be talking in detail about the facelift procedure.
- What is the purpose of Face Lift Surgery?
- Who is a good candidate for Face Lift Surgery?
- What are the different types of Face Lift Surgeries?
- What is the diagnostic procedure before Face Lift Surgery?
- How to prepare for Face Lift Surgery?
- What is the procedure for Face Lift Surgery?
- How to care after Face Lift Surgery?
- What are the risks of Face Lift Surgery?
- What is the cost of Face Lift Surgery in India?
What is the purpose of Face Lift Surgery?
As one gets older, the shape and appearance of the face change due to normal age-related changes. The facial skin becomes loose and less elastic with age. Age-related changes which may be reduced by a facelift procedure include:
- Sagging appearance of the cheeks
- Deepening of the fold of the skin from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth
- Excess skin at the lower jawline (jowls)
- Sagging skin and excessive fat in the neck region (if neck lift procedure is done along with a facelift)
A facelift does not treat superficial wrinkles, damage due to sun exposure, the creases around the upper lip and the nose, or the irregularities in the skin color.
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Who is a good candidate for Face Lift Surgery?
The following are considered to be good candidates for the facelift procedure:
- A healthy person without any pre-existing medical conditions that can interfere with the healing of the wound, or recovery post-surgery.
- An individual who does not smoke or misuse substances.
- A person who is not taking any blood-thinning medications or supplements like aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), fish oils. Blood thinners increase the chances of bleeding during and after the surgery.
- An individual who does not have a history of repeated weight loss and weight gain.
- A person having realistic expectations of what the surgery can achieve.
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What are the different types of Face Lift Surgeries?
The different types of facelift surgeries depending on the areas of the face and the neck that are treated include:
- Traditional facelift:
- It involves the surgeon making incisions (cuts) around the ears, hairline, and below the chin.
- The skin is separated from the underlying tissues.
- The muscles and other supporting structures of the face and neck are tightened.
- The excess fat in the neck and jowls is removed.
- The skin is repositioned over the face in a natural manner, and any excess skin is removed.
- This type of surgery is recommended in people with moderate to significant facial aging.
- Superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) facelift:
- This type of facelift targets the lower two-thirds of the face.
- The surgeon tightens the muscle and trims the excess skin and/or fat in the cheeks and the lower face area.
- It is a variation of the traditional facelift procedure.
- Deep plane facelift:
- This procedure involves lifting the muscular layer of the face (SMAS), fat, and skin as one unit.
- This type of facelift addresses multiple areas of the face at the same time.
- Mid-facelift:
- This procedure treats the cheek area of the face.
- The fat in the cheeks is repositioned, and the skin in the cheek area is tightened.
- Mini-facelift:
- This procedure focuses on lifting the lower face and the neck area.
- It is less invasive and quicker as compared to other facelift surgeries.
- This procedure is recommended in younger patients with early signs of facial sagging.
- Skin or cutaneous facelift:
- This procedure only involves the skin.
- It focuses on the lower face and the neck area.
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What is the diagnostic procedure before Face Lift Surgery?
- Physical examination and medical history: The surgeon will do a physical examination, and ask the patient about his/her medical history in detail.
- Facial examination: The surgeon will take photographs of the face from different angles and will examine the shape of the face, bone structure, quality of the skin, and structure of the bone to determine the best options for facelift surgery.
- Blood tests: Routine blood tests are advised before the surgery to check for any underlying infections.
How to prepare for Face Lift Surgery?
- Inform your doctor about any medical conditions that you may be having.
- Inform your doctor about any medications, supplements, or herbs that you may be taking.
- Let your doctor know about your expectations from the facelift surgery and understand the possible outcomes of the procedure.
- The doctor may advise you to stop taking blood-thinners like aspirin and warfarin a couple of days before the surgery.
- The patient is instructed to wash his/her hair with germicidal soap on the morning of the surgery.
- The patient is asked not to eat or drink anything after midnight the day before the surgery.
- Arrange for help during the recovery period.
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What is the procedure for Face Lift Surgery?
- The procedure may be performed under local anesthesia and sedation (numbing the area of operation) or general anesthesia (the patient is made to fall asleep).
- The patient is usually allowed to go home on the same day of the surgery (outpatient procedure).
- Depending on the type of facelift done, the surgeon could make the following incisions:
- Traditional face-lift incision: This incision starts at the temples in the hairline, and continues down and around the front of the ears, and ends behind the ears in the lower scalp. An incision may be made under the chin to improve the appearance of the neck.
- Limited incision: It is a shorter incision that begins in the hairline just above the ear, goes around the front of the ear, but does not extend till the lower scalp.
- Neck lift incision: This type of incision starts in front of the earlobe, and continues around the ear into the lower scalp. A small incision is also made under the chin.
- The procedure involves elevating the skin and tightening the underlying muscles and tissues.
- The fat in the face and neck may be removed, sculpted, or redistributed.
- The facial skin is then re-draped over the repositioned contours of the face.
- The excess skin is removed.
- The incisions are then closed by using dissolvable sutures (stitches), non-dissolvable (stitches that require removal by the surgeon after a few days), or skin glue.
- The facelift surgery can take about two to four hours to complete but may take longer if additional procedures are done along with it.
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How to care after Face Lift Surgery?
- The patient is taken to an observation room after the procedure, where the vital signs of the patient are monitored. The patient is generally allowed to go home once he/she is stable.
- A bandage may be placed around the face that applies gentle pressure to the face to help in reducing the bruising and swelling.
- Small drainage tubes may be placed under the skin, behind one or both ears for draining any excess fluid or blood. These tubes are generally removed a day after the surgery.
- After the removal of the drainage tubes, the surgeon will apply an antibiotic ointment to the incisions, and new bandages will be placed on the face.
- Two to three days after the surgery, the doctor will remove the bandages and give an elasticized facial sling for the patient to wear.
- In case the doctor has given non-dissolvable sutures, the sutures will be removed one week after the surgery.
- It is advisable to take the pain medications recommended by the doctor for a few days after the procedure.
- Ice pack application is recommended to reduce the pain and swelling.
- The patient is instructed to rest with his/her head in an elevated position.
- The patient should follow the wound care instructions given by the doctor.
- The doctor will instruct you as to when you can start using shampoos and soaps, and what kinds can be used.
- It is advised to not pick at the crusting scabs that develop on the wound.
- Wear clothes with buttons in the front, rather than clothes which need to be pulled over the head.
- Avoid using any makeup.
- Avoid any excessive pressure on or around the incision area.
- Avoid vigorous exercises.
- Avoid bleaching, coloring, or perming hair for at least six weeks after the procedure.
- Avoid direct exposure to the sun for at least three weeks after the surgery and use a sunscreen of SPF30 or higher after that.
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What are the risks of Face Lift Surgery?
The common risks associated with facelift surgery include:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Drainage from the incision area
- Bruising
- Numbness
- Hematoma (collection of blood under the skin)
- Scarring
- Injury to the nerve
- Hair loss
- Skin loss (sloughing)
- Bleeding
- Infection
Contact your doctor immediately in case of:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Severe pain on one side of the face or neck within 24 hours of the surgery
- Irregular heartbeats
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What is the cost of Face Lift Surgery in India?
The total cost of facelift surgery in India can range from around INR 1,80,000 to INR 3,50,000. However, the cost of the procedure may vary across different hospitals. There are many big hospitals and specialized doctors in India for facelift surgery.
If you are coming from abroad, in addition to the expenses of facelift surgery, there will be a cost of staying in a hotel, cost of living, and cost of local travel. Apart from this, after the procedure, the patient is kept in hospital for 1 day and in the hotel for 7 days for recovery. So, the total cost of facelift surgery in India will be around INR 2,30,000 to INR 4,00,000.
We hope that we were able to answer all your questions regarding facelift surgery through this article.
If you need more information and treatment of facelift surgery, then contact the Plastic Surgeon.
We only aim to give you information through the article. We do not recommend medication or treatment in any way. Only a doctor can give you the best advice and correct treatment plan.
