Achieving and maintaining your best self is a central goal of cosmetic plastic surgery. Over time, factors like age, exposure to the sun, and stress can diminish the radiance of your skin. These changes can make you look and feel older than you are. Thanks to modern cosmetic surgery treatments such as facelifts, you can recapture a youthful appearance.
What is a Facelift?
The older you get, the more the shape and appearance of your face change. Your skin loses elasticity, and you get increased fat deposits in certain areas of your face while others experience a decrease. A facelift is a surgical cosmetic procedure that realigns neck and facial skin and removes excess fat deposits. You can also combine this surgery with other cosmetic procedures for a customized treatment solution. A neck lift is a surgery often done in tandem with a facelift and helps reduce fat deposits and excess skin on your neck. A surgical facelift can help:
- Reduce the appearance of sagging in your cheeks
- Reduce excess skin at the jowls
- Reduce excess fat and sagging skin in your neck area
- Reduce prominent lines from the corner of your mouth to the side of your nose
How to Prepare for a Facelift
When preparing to undergo a facelift procedure, your surgeon will do a physical exam and ask questions concerning your medical history. It's important to tell your surgeon about your current and past medical conditions. This includes and history of drug and alcohol abuse, previous surgeries, and any complications from such treatments. All this information and your recent medical records will allow your surgeon to determine if there are any concerns about your ability to undergo surgery.
Your surgeon will help you understand the expected outcomes of the procedure and what a facelift will or will not fix. The treatment will not affect the upper part of the face, such as crow's feet or forehead wrinkles. If you want to add additional treatments, this would be the best time to discuss your options with your plastic surgeon.
Before, during, and after your treatment, it is critical to follow your surgeon's directions. If you are taking any medications, be sure to ask if it's safe to continue using them. Your surgical team will give you a list of instructions such as avoiding eating after midnight, washing your hair on the day of the facelift using germicidal soap, and arranging for help during recovery.
The Procedure
A facelift involves raising the skin and tightening the muscles and underlying tissues. Your surgeon may also redistribute, sculpt, or remove excess fat in your neck and face. Extra skin is removed before closing the wound. The incisions your surgeon makes will vary depending on their preferred techniques. Overall, the surgery takes less than four hours. However, if you include other cosmetic procedures during your facelift, the time in surgery could be longer.
Important Aftercare Instructions
After the surgery, you can expect minor swelling, bruising, mild pain, numbness, and drainage from the incisions. Most surgical practices will call you after a few hours and the day after to ensure you are recovering well. If you experience severe chest pain, irregular heartbeat, or shortness of breath within the first 24 hours after your surgery, contact your doctor right away.
You can take recommended medications to reduce the pain, and applying cool packs to your face can also help. Follow any wound care instructions from your doctor and attend all follow-up appointments while you're healing. These appointments will help your surgeon monitor your progress.
Expert Facelift Treatments in Washington D.C
If you are contemplating a facelift, it is essential to choose a professional cosmetic surgeon with training and experience. By selecting the right surgeon, you have the assurance of excellent results. Dr. Chasby Sacks is a board-certified, knowledgeable cosmetic surgeon with years of experience.
At Arizona Cosmetic Surgery, our team is committed to providing excellent care. Dr. Sacks has the talent and expertise to deliver outstanding results for many surgical cosmetic procedures, including facelifts. Explore our facelift options and decide whether it's time for you to have a facelift. Call us today to book an appointment!