Face & Neck Lift

As people age, the effects of gravity, exposure to the sun, and the stresses of daily life can be seen in their faces. Deep creases form between the nose and mouth; the jawline grows slack and jowly; folds and fat deposits appear around the neck.

A facelift (rhytidectomy) can’t stop this aging process. What it can do is “set back the clock,” improving the most visible signs of aging by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. A facelift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a forehead lift, eyelid surgery, or nose reshaping.  The best candidate for a facelift is someone whose face and neck have begun to sag.  Most patients are in their forties to sixties, but facelifts can be done successfully on people in their seventies or eighties as well. A facelift can make you look younger and fresher, and it may enhance your self-confidence.

Facelifts are very individualized procedures. In your initial consultation, Dr. Danikas will evaluate your face and discuss your goals for the surgery.
He will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery.  Carefully following these instructions will help your surgery go more smoothly. I f you smoke, it’s especially important to stop at least two weeks before and after surgery; smoking inhibits blood flow to the skin, and can interfere with the healing of your incision areas.

A facelift is an outpatient procedure. It can be performed with general or local anesthesia, combined with a sedative to make you drowsy and insensitive to pain. A facelift usually takes 3-4 hours, or somewhat longer if you’re having more than one procedure done.

Incisions usually begin above the hairline at the temples, extend just inside the cartilage at the front of the ear to hide the incision, and continue behind the earlobe to the lower scalp. If the neck needs work, a small incision may also be made under the chin. In general, the surgeon separates the skin from the fat and muscle below. Fat may be trimmed or suctioned from around the neck and chin to improve the contour. The surgeon then tightens the underlying muscle and membrane, pulls the skin back, and removes the excess. Stitches secure the layers of tissue and close the incisions. Following surgery, a small, thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin behind your ear to drain any fluid that might collect there. The surgeon wraps your head loosely in bandages.

After surgery your head has to be elevated for a couple of days. If you’ve had a drainage tube inserted, it will be removed one or two days after surgery. Bandages are usually removed after one to five days.

Your surgeon will give more specific guidelines for gradually resuming your normal activities. By the third week, you’ll look and feel much better. Most patients are back at work about ten days to two weeks after surgery. If you need it, special concealing makeup can mask bruising.

Chances are excellent that you’ll be happy with your facelift.  The effects of a this surgery are long lasting, however, having a facelift doesn’t stop the clock. Your face will continue to age with time, and you may want to repeat the procedure one or more times – perhaps ten years down the line.  Once you have had a facelift, you’ll continue to look better than if you’d never had a facelift at all.