Facelift
Meloplasty
Facial aging can take many different forms, including flattening of the cheeks, accentuated jowling, neck redundancy, and generalized wrinkling of the skin. Most of these telltale signs of aging are due to both an increase in overlying skin laxity and a loss of underlying subcutaneous tissue volume. In effect, the face deflates with age, leaving the sagging areas that we associate with aging.
Older facelift techniques tried to correct these two problems by way of skin tightening alone. Extensive dissection was used, and unusual tension was placed upon the tissues to correct the areas where sagging was visible. The procedures were expensive, recovery times could be extensive, and a pulled, “surgical” look to the face could be the end result.
More modern Facelift techniques are designed to achieve less surgical, more natural final results with significantly reduced costs and downtime. While the lax tissues will still be tightened surgically, volume enhancement (with the patient’s own fat) will play a significant role in the overall rejuvenation of the face.
You might consider Facelift Surgery if you have developed signs of facial aging that are giving your face a tired and aged look. Many of our patients say that they still feel like they are young, and that they want their face to match the way that they feel.
-
Limited incisions are utilized to tighten the cheeks and jawline.
-
Skin excisions are combined with tightening of the deeper tissue planes of the cheeks and jawline.
-
Skin excision, tightening of the deeper tissue planes, and extensive fat injection (to enhance the volume of the midface and perioral regions) are utilized to achieve a natural-looking rejuvenation of the face.
-
Extended incisions (in front of and behind the ears) and more extended surgical elevation of the face and neck are utilized to achieve optimal tightening of lax facial and neck skin.
Types of Facelifts
The specific procedure to be chosen will be tailored by Dr. Lober to meet the individual needs of a given patient, with the ultimate goal of achieving a natural-looking, seamless rejuvenation of the face.
Surgery & Recovery
We perform all of our facial rejuvenation surgeries under iv sedation only. While we have the ability to put patients under General Anesthesia in our Surgery Center, we prefer to avoid this in our facial surgeries for a number of reasons. First, when the endotracheal tube is removed at the end of the procedure, there is a spike in blood pressure that can cause additional bruising and swelling.
Second, patients are much more at risk for postoperative nausea and vomiting with General Anesthesia (which can cause unwanted swelling and bleeding). And third, we do not believe that General Anesthesia is completely benign for patients over the age of 65. Many older patients can experience prolonged mental “fogginess” after General Anesthesia. This is almost never the case with IV Sedation.
Facelift procedures typically last from 2 to 3 hours long. Patients are generally surprised at how little postoperative discomfort they experience after the procedure. Physical downtime (light activity, driving, etc.) from the surgery can be as little as 3 to 5 days. Social downtime (outings, social events, meetings, etc.) will generally be from 10 to 14 days.