A facelift is a safe and effective procedure that will restore your face to a more youthful state. Just as our faces are unique to every individual, the surgery is customized to each patient. The overall goal is to address facial aging, concerns in the mid to lower face, and the loss of muscle tone.
During a facelift procedure, the skin of the cheeks and neck and the supporting structures are lifted. A small incision is made around the ears to allow elevation of the tissues, which are secured in place with sutures.
At Gulf Coast Plastic Surgery, our award-winning, board-certified plastic surgeons have performed hundreds of facelift procedures. Dr. Butler, Dr. Leveque, and Dr. Patterson have a tremendous amount of experience giving patients a natural-looking facelift.
Here are five crucial things to keep in mind when considering a facelift.
There are different types of facelifts?
There are a several different facelift techniques. Our plastic surgeons will discuss your needs and the type of facelift procedure that will work best for you during your consultation. A mini facelift is used in younger patients. It addresses laxity in the cheeks and tightens the jowls. A short scar facelift elevates the skin and underlying muscles and tissue through a small incision around the ears. For patients in their late 50’s and above, a full-incision facelift provides the maximum benefits for cheeks, jowls, and neck.
How to make sure your facelift looks natural?
Some surgeons might rely mainly on tightening the skin without improving the position of the underlying muscles and fat. This technique can create a lot of tension on surface skin and give an unnatural, “pulled” look. This is most commonly seen in people who have had too many facelifts.
What’s the best time to get a facelift?
Women and men who have loose skin in the lower face and neck, as well as those with drooping jowls along the jawline, are usually good candidates for a facelift. The typical age range for facelift patients is 40 to 75. For younger patients, non-surgical options like Ultherapy and PDO thread lifts will provide subtle tightening. Ultherapy and PDO threads can also be used to prolong the results of a surgical facelift.
What areas of the face will see improvement?
A facelift can improve the look of wrinkles on the lower portion of the face like the deep marionette lines that run vertically from the corners of the mouth to the chin. It can also improve the appearance of smile lines or laugh lines that appear as parenthesis around the mouth. However, it won’t correct fine lines in the skin. Often, patients will have fractional laser skin resurfacing (sometimes called Fraxel) at the same time as their facelift to soften the look of fine lines.
Where are the scars located for a facelift?
The incisions location will vary based on the procedure. A qualified plastic surgeon will know where to place the incisions so that the scars won’t be noticeable. Generally, the scars are placed near or behind the ear and in the hairline. In some cases, there may also be an incision under the chin. Gulf Coast Plastic Surgery provides all facelift patients with a scar treatment protocol to help ensure that the incisions heal with the least noticeable scars as possible.
If you are seeing aging in your face and want to speak with one of our award-winning, board-certified plastic surgeons about the best options for you, schedule a personal consultation today with Dr. Peter Butler, Dr. Jocelyn Leveque, or Dr. Nathan Patterson.
