Getting a facelift is an effective way to keep yourself looking and feeling young and beautiful. It’s a fairly fast procedure that can be done on an outpatient basis. You don’t need to sleep in the hospital, and it can actually be done under local anaesthesia. Most facelift patients can walk out on the same day and all they need are a few pain killers and some antibiotics.
There are other procedures that can be used to resolve minor facial flaws. For example, you can use targeted dermal fillers or injectables to fix crows’ feet or brow creases, but facelifts give a more dramatic result, and it lasts longer than fillers. A facelift takes years off your face.
When should I get a facelift?
Most patients wait until their 60s to have a facelift, and the results can be beautifully drastic. In the past, it was a way for patients to get their verve back after the grown kids had gone. It marked a new, exciting, pleasurable phase in their lives. Nowadays, patients are more interested in the appearance of perpetual youth than the dramatic effect of surgery.
They don’t necessarily want the world to know they’ve had work done. They just want to look ageless and gorgeous. You can achieve this by having your first surgery before age distinctly shows. 45 is a good age for your first facelift, and you can touch up every four or five years. Younger skin heals faster, and responds better to surgery as well, with fewer complications.
What exactly does a facelift involve?
A facelift makes your face look younger by stretching out the skin, tissue, and muscle in your chin and cheeks. This minimises the appearance of wrinkles, makes your skin firmer, eliminates lumps, and adjusts the shape of your face. Excess fat and skin are also removed.
Your surgeon will make a small incision behind your ear. The position and size of the incision depend on the procedure. It might start at your hairline and go round your ear, or it may begin at your ear lobe. Any scarring will be well hidden by your ear and hair. The incision will give your surgeon room to tighten and reposition your tissues.
Are there different kinds of facelifts?
There are three main kinds of facelifts, though surgeons sometimes use different terms to describe them. The oldest type is the skin-only facelift, where a surgeon pulls the skin to tighten the facial appearance and get rid of wrinkles. It’s not as common nowadays because it doesn’t last long. The skin isn’t elastic enough to effectively hold adjusted facial muscles.
SMAS is a more popular option, and it targets the superficial musculoaponeurotic system beneath the skin. This muscular system controls facial expressions like smiling, frowning, and so on. SMAS facelifts last 4 or 5 years. The third type is the extended SMAS, sometimes called a deep-plane facelift. Its results can last ten to fifteen years.
How long does it take to recover?
Recovering from a facelift happens in stages, but you can resume your normal life in a week or two. You may still have some swelling for up to a month, and your skin may continue to feel tight and numb for a few more weeks after that. Give yourself six to eight weeks for complete recovery.
If you don’t want people to know you’ve had surgery, try changing your appearance a few weeks before your procedure. Get a new hairdo, change the frames of your spectacles, or start wearing classy sunglasses. This way, when your procedure is done, people will assume the subtle difference comes from your new fashion sense rather than surgery.
Will I need a second facelift?
Ageing is a natural process, and as your skin and muscles grow and stretch, the effects of your facelift will become less visible. A good facelift will take you a few years before you need to have a follow-up procedure, so you do need to plan accordingly.
When you’re shopping for a surgeon, get testimonials from his / her other clients if possible. Ideally, a good surgeon will do a good job and space your surgeries strategically so that no one can tell you’ve had a progressive series of facelifts.
