Facelift

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FACELIFT?

As people age, the effects of gravity, exposure to the sun, and the stresses of daily life can be seen in their faces. Yet they still feel young and are troubled by these signs of facial aging. Deep creases form between the nose and mouth; the jaw-line grows slack and jowly; folds and fat deposits appear around the neck.

A facelift (technically known as rhytidectomy) can’t stop this aging process. What it can do is “set back the clock,” improving the most visible signs of aging by restoring lost fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. A facelift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a forehead lift, eyelid surgery, or laser peel.

If you’re considering a facelift, this presentation will give you a basic understanding of the procedure when it can help, how it’s performed, and what results you can expect. Since a lot depends on the individual patient and the surgeon, please ask your surgeon about anything you don’t understand during your consultation.

THE BEST CANDIDATES FOR A FACELIFT:

The best candidate for a facelift is a man or woman with the following complaints:

• The face and neck have begun to sag, but the skin still has some elasticity and bone structure is strong and well defined.
• Most patients are in their forties to sixties, but facelifts can be done successfully on people in their seventies or eighties as well.

A facelift can make you look younger and fresher, and it may enhance your self- confidence in the process. But it can’t give you a totally different look, nor can it restore the health and vitality of your youth. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with Dr Dolynchuk.

ALL SURGERY CARRIES SOME UNCERTAINTY AND RISK:

When a facelift is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon such as Dr Dolynchuk, complications are infrequent and usually minor. Still, individuals vary greatly in their anatomy, their physical reactions, and their healing abilities, and the outcome is never completely predictable.

Complications that can occur include hematoma (a collection of blood under the skin that must be removed by the surgeon), injury to the nerves that control facial muscles (usually temporary), infection, and reactions to the anesthesia. Poor healing of the skin is most likely to affect smokers.

You can reduce your risks by closely following our advice both before and after surgery.

You’ll have some scars from your facelift, but they’re usually hidden by your hair or in the natural creases of your face and ears. In any case, they’ll fade within time and should be scarcely visible.

Having a facelift doesn’t stop the clock. Your face will continue to age with time, and you may want to repeat the procedure one or more times-perhaps five or ten years down the line. But in another sense, the effects of even one facelift are lasting; years later, you’ll continue to look better than if you’d never had a facelift at all.