Facelifts

Facelifts, or rhytidectomy, is a plastic surgery procedure used to tighten and smooth the skin around the cheeks, jaw line, nose, forehead, mouth, eyes and neck.  With this type of cosmetic surgery, cosmetic surgeons are able to reduce the amount of loose or saggy facial skin and wrinkles caused by aging.

Your cosmetic surgeon will recommend the best facelift technique for you by assessing where the trouble spots are, how much sagging or wrinkling is present, your skin's elasticity and the shape of your face. The goal is always to produce a lifting and sculpting of the face that looks natural and creates very little scarring.

Facelift surgery candidates should be physically and mentally healthy and have realistic expectations about the benefits and drawbacks of various facelift surgery techniques. Ideal candidates also have good facial skin elasticity and flexibility and well-defined underlying bone structure. That said, by using advanced techniques in facial rejuvenation, cosmetic surgeons can more easily correct problems related to bone structure or severe ptosis (sagging).

Traditional facelift surgery, when correctly performed by a trained facial cosmetic surgeon, can address and surgically correct wrinkled and sagging skin throughout the entire face. This type of surgery provides the most dramatic and long-lasting results, but is also the most invasive technique.  The procedure involves separating the skin from its underlying tissues, removing extra skin, and suturing the remaining skin back into place. Scarring around the ears and hairline may be permanent (though able to be hidden), and recovery can take up to a few months.

Performed on deep facial folds along the mouth and nose, the deep plane facelifts involve sculpting the area through fat removal, the tightening of facial muscles and re-positioning of the skin.  Surgeons advise that additional swelling may be a consequence of this procedure due to the deep incisions used.

Some facial problems such as creases around the mouth and nose, frown lines, saggy cheeks or downturned lips can be treated with endoscopic, or "scarless", facelift techniques.  This procedure uses three or more small incisions above the hairline or behind the ear, made with the help of a thin wand-like camera device (endoscope) and small surgical instruments.  Endoscopic facelifts offer a much shorter recovery time and significantly lower risk of complications.

The mini facelift, also known as a "weekend" facelift, can be used to reduce minor sagging around the neck, jaw line and cheeks. As the name suggests, this procedure makes use of very small incisions, and has a short recovery period. 

No matter which types of facelifts are performed, the best and most natural-looking surgeries tend to be carried out by specially trained facial cosmetic surgeons.