Face-Lifts

Mother Nature and Father Time have given your face a worn look, so much so that you're considering a face-lift, also known as a rhytidectomy. Your skin and soft tissue have lost their elasticity. You look tired, even when you're not. You may have deep lines around the corners of your mouth, jowls, or neck laxity (looseness) that increase your aged and tired look.

The good news is that modern face-lift techniques have evolved significantly over the past 15 years. Early face-lift operations tightened only the skin, while the modern face-lift removes excess skin, laxity of facial muscle and excess fat, often found in the lower face and neck. The procedure can improve the contour of your lower jaw and jowls, and soften deep lines from your nose to the corners of your mouth.

But a face-lift is only one technique surgeons can use to restore youth and beauty. Once the loose skin, fat, and muscle have been tightened, laser and other peeling techniques can improve the quality of the skin. Your surgeon can perform a face-lift with other procedures, including surgery on the forehead, eyelids, or nose.

Who's a Candidate for a Face-Lift?

The best candidates for face-lift surgery are those patients who demonstrate the above signs of facial aging but still have some skin elasticity. Generally this includes patients who are in their 40's to 70's, although older patients occasionally are candidates.

It's extremely important that you are in good general overall physical and mental health, and it's crucial that you have realistic expectations. A face-lift is not meant to completely alter your appearance or make you look like someone else. It's a way to turn back the hands of time and restore your once youthful appearance, but it is not a method to solve personal problems or psychological issues.

It's important to recognize that not every person needs or is willing to undergo a face-lift operation. Younger patients may obtain significant benefit from smaller or more minimally invasive procedures. Older patients also may choose one of these smaller procedures to address a particularly bothersome area of the face or neck. Facial liposuction, a neck lift or a brow lift are examples of such procedures.

What Is a Weekend Face-Lift?

The increasingly popular "weekend face-lift" is a minor surgical procedure that provides some improvements to drooping and sagging skin. And while the results are much less impressive than a "real" face-lift, the recovery time is also much less.

If you are interested in this procedure, you can discuss with your doctor whether or not it would be a suitable alternative to a regular face-lift and whether it will provide the outcome that you desire.