Face lift
Offering unparalleled opportunities to restore vibrancy, youth, and vigour to the appearance.
Face lift aesthetics
Choosing to undergo a face lift procedure usually entails different desires for men and women in terms of facial contours, definition, and the extent of the surgery.
It is important that patients and surgeons work together to clearly identify areas considered a priority for rejuvenation, beautification, and maintenance as well as to explore personal perceptions of beauty and health.
Planning the face lift
Planning a face lift is a collaborative effort between patient and surgeon, taking into account the patients’ personal perceptions of beauty and the abilities and techniques available to achieve that aesthetic.
Everyone’s priorities differ, along with their medical history, degree of sun exposure and skin damage, and inherited traits that will affect surgical decisions.
In planning a face lift the surgeon will perform a comprehensive review of the factors contributing to the impression of ageing.
Face lift procedure
A formal face lift procedure may be desirable in cases where a patient wishes to achieve considerable rejuvenation of the jawline and neck.
This is often necessary where there is a significant degree of skin laxity and the face lift may incorporate a neck lift (platysmaplasty) procedure in order to sculpt the face and neck to the patient’s desired aesthetic.
Scars are placed in the hairline behind the ears, along with scars at the temple, in front of the ears and behind the ears to minimise their visibility.
Face lift recovery
Patients will have the opportunity to discuss their concerns about recovery times, proper post-operative care, as well as pre-operative considerations, prior to their face lift.
This type of surgery has a number of specific issues as regards recovery which patients may not be familiar with, making it important to have a good rapport with the surgical team helping them through the process.
Risks and possible complications
The risks associated with face lift surgery vary from patient to patient but have been significantly reduced in recent years by innovation in the surgical techniques used and follow-up care on offer.
Following pre-operative and post-operative guidance carefully means that these risks are ameliorated and cause little reason for concern for most patients.
Where a patient has existing medical issues these may affect the advice given and the techniques used in face lift surgery so as to manage the associated risks of the procedure.
Longevity of results
Face lift surgery can help rejuvenate the appearance for a considerable time and is a popular procedure amongst many age groups.
The longevity of the results varies between patients with some noticing lasting effects up to ten years after surgery and others feeling the need to augment their face lift after five years or so.
Associated treatments
Treatments associated with a face lift include blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), forehead lift, and fat transfer techniques or fillers.
The supplementation of a face lift with such procedures can increase the benefits of the face lift and add an extra element of rejuvenation and beautification at the same time.
The appropriateness of each procedure and the priorities of each individual patient will be thoroughly discussed during the planning stages of any face lift in order to ensure the best possible outcome to achieve the desired facial aesthetic.
Skin care
The individual appearance of the skin has a powerful effect on the end result of face lift surgery and careful analysis of the skin is undertaken in order to effectively target treatments.
Accumulated smoking and sun damage also affect the decisions made regarding face lift surgery and it may be that associated treatments for skin care maintenance are advised, such as Obagi Nu-Derm Protocols, Hydra-Facial skin management, skin peels, or fractionated laser treatments to accentuate the effects of a face lift.
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