Do I Really Need a Face-lift?
Intro to Face-lift (Rhytidectomy)
The skin around the face can become loose as people age. Deep creases can appear in certain places, generally between the nose and mouth. Fat build up can appear around the neck. These changes are normally due to the aging process and gravity. They can be worsened by over-exposure to the sun or to a stressful lifestyle. In order to offset these changes, the face-lift procedure, or rhytidectomy, can reduce or remove these changes.
Face-lifts are designed to reduce sagging in the face and neck tissues. A face-lift is an incision to remove wrinkles. This is accomplished by removing the excess skin of the facial area and by tightening the underlying muscles of the face and neck. The procedure is performed by placing incisions around the face, where excess skin is removed, and the remaining skin is tightened across the jaw and other bone structures.
Am I a Candidate for Face-lift Surgery?
Patients whose skin has loosened around the neck and face are the best face-lift candidates. Additionally, the skin needs to retain enough elasticity so that it can be repositioned. A strong jaw line or a well-defined bone structure can improve post-surgical results. Patients in their 40's, 50's, and 60's are the most common recipients of face-lift procedures, but patients in their 70's and 80's have had successful surgeries as well.
What to Expect from Face-lift Surgery
A face-lift, as with any cosmetic plastic surgery procedure, can boost your self-confidence and improve the way you interact with others. Face-lift surgery can make patients look younger and fresher, but it cannot provide a totally different look. Properly performed face-lift procedures are designed to make patients 'look good for their age,' however they cannot completely reverse aging or restore youth and vitality. It is important to understand that while many wrinkles will be reduced or eliminated, not every single wrinkle may be removed with surgery. In particular, the more superficial wrinkles are less likely to be affected by the face-lift procedure. Results will vary with age, weight, sex, type of skin, race, previous exposure to sun, and other factors.
The Effects of Smoking On Face-lift Outcomes
Smoking can have a significant impact on surgical success. Smoking reduces the skin's oxygen levels and blood flow to the skin cells because of the nicotine and carbon monoxide content of cigarettes. By avoiding smoking a month before and after surgery, there is an increased likelihood of successful surgery.
Having Face-lift Surgery A Second Time
As patients continue to age, the skin may again start to loosen and sag. A second face-lift procedure is not uncommon to retighten the face and muscles. Moreover, after undergoing face-lift surgery, other parts of the facial area may appear looser than the surgical area. In this case, a second procedure may be needed to tighten the areas, such as the neck, to provide a more consistent appearance after a face-lift.
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