Facelift: What is it and what you should expect

A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that involves lifting up and pulling back the skin to create a younger look in your face. The ageing process causes the loss of youthful contours and may impact your self-confidence. Many people choose to undergo a facelift to achieve a more youthful appearance and enhance their self-esteem. A facelift can be combined with other cosmetic procedures such as brow lift, eyelid surgery, and neck lift.

There are a variety of reasons why our facial features age and lose their youthful contours, including thinning of the skin, sun damage, smoking, gravity, loss of facial fat, hereditary factors, or stress. A facelift is the most effective cosmetic procedure that helps you make your face look younger and fresher, and can only be performed surgically.

In this article, we are going to walk you through the procedure step by step, explain who it is for and see what you can expect while recovering from the surgery.

Why get a facelift?

Many patients contact us to get information about how a facelift can help them for a variety of reasons, including:

• Sagging skin in the face
• Deep fold lines between the nose and the corner of the mouth
• Loose skin in the neck or jaw, sometimes causing a double chin
• Excess skin around the mouth, eyes, or jaws

Facelift surgery is typically recommended to patients who are in their 40s to 60s who have signs of facial ageing but still have some skin elasticity. Younger or older patients may be eligible following an individual evaluation.

Facelift surgery: The procedure step by step

Facelift surgery is a surgical procedure carried out under general anaesthesia. The procedure can last between 2 to 4 hours.

1. Anaesthesia

The first step of a facelift surgery is administering general anaesthesia. This means that you will be unconscious throughout the procedure.

2. Incisions

The surgeon will make the incisions in the hairline at the temples, around the ear and in the lower scalp. An incision under the chin may also be necessary if you are also treating your neck.

Then, the underlying tissue is repositioned and lifted, while fat is sculpted or redistributed. The skin is redraped over the new contours and any excess skin is trimmed away.

Depending on the changes that you desire, fewer incisions may be involved. You will discuss this during the consultation with your doctor before the procedure.

3. Finishing surgery

Now, the surgeon will close the incisions with sutures and your face will be covered with bandages. The incisions lines will conceal within the hairline and in the natural contours of the face and ear once you are properly healed.

Facelift surgery: What to expect after the surgery

At the end of the surgery, the surgeon will place bandages over the treated areas to minimise swelling and bruising. Once swelling and bruising will subside, you will be able to see the final results of your facelift. While bruising and swelling should last for two weeks after surgery, the final results of the procedure will be visible after 6 to 9 months.

During the first few weeks after surgery, avoid heavy lifting or intense workouts, sauna, bathing and sunbathing. To ensure proper healing, also consider quitting alcohol and cigarettes altogether: wounds will heal properly, reducing the likelihood of scars.

Facelift surgery is a popular procedure, but it is important that you know what the risks and potential side effects are. You may feel drowsy and disoriented when you wake up from surgery – don’t worry, this is a normal reaction from the general anaesthetic. The doctor will prescribe pain medication to control any discomfort or pain after surgery. You may also experience some numbness in the treated areas, but it should subside after a few weeks. Some other side effects may include:

• Visible scarring
• Haematoma
• Loss of movement in the face or nerve damage
• Hair loss or reduction around the scar tissues (where incisions were made)
• Bleeding

Please consider that any medical procedure carries a certain degree of risk, and these risks and side effects occur in a very small percentage of cases. Our team of highly experienced plastic surgeons is happy to welcome you at our clinic and advise you on what works best for you. Choosing to undergo a facelift surgery can be a difficult decision to make – let us help you feel safe and confident!

Face and neck lifting at KCM Clinic

Facelift surgery is a procedure that can help you boost your self-confidence and bring back a youthful and fresh look to your face. Some patients choose to combine a neck lift or a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) for optimum results. You will be able to discuss all your options with one of our doctors who will advise you on what’s the best course of action in your specific case. Facelift surgery is a very individualised procedure, and the doctor will take into consideration your features, problem areas and expectations to achieve the best possible result.

If you’re thinking of getting this procedure or would like to know more, get in touch with us any time.

We will get back to you in no time. One of our patient coordinators will ask you questions about your overall health and expectations, as well as answering any questions you might have about the procedure, the clinic and the staff. We’re looking forward to talking to you!