Facelift

Facelift is historically the main procedure of cosmetic surgery. Correct indications allow to achieve excellent results without causing the effect of an artificial motionless face…

Starting from a certain age, when we look into the mirror we might see a strange, unknown, weary face marked by wrinkles and expression marks. A face that one finds difficult to believe is his or her own. When youth passes and the skin is not elastic anymore, neck and jaw lose their precise contour and the tension of tissues that cover the bone structure of the face becomes less effective. When we feel the need to recover some of our youthful traits, it can be useful to submit to a facelift, which has always been considered the main intervention of cosmetic surgery. Despite not being able to stop time that passes and the subsequent skin ageing process, lifting can correct the most visible traces quite well by remodelling the contours and endowing the face and neck with newfound freshness and tone. Without counting the fact that a face lift can be combined with other ‘touches’, such as liposuction, blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty.

The good outcome of surgery varies case by case, depending on the general conditions of the skin, the characteristics of the underlying bone structure and several other factors.

The degree of improvement varies from person to person and is affected by the physical conditions of the skin, by the degree of damage produced by sun radiations, by the underlying bone structures and by a variety of other factors.
A facelift can be performed concurrently with other surgical actions, such as liposuction, eyelid surgery and nose surgery.

Surgery

Facelift, performed under local anaesthesia, following sedation of the patient, or under general anaesthesia, is not painful and has a duration of about 2-3 hours (depending on the type of surgery to be performed in areas of face, neck and scalp).

What does the facelift procedure involve?

During surgery, a small strip of skin is removed from the temporal region, in front of and behind the ear. If the forehead too has to be lifted, a strip of skin is removed from the frontal region too. The incisions allow to remove excessive skin and also to access the underlying tissues. The traction on surface muscles and securing them with sutures redefines the face and ensures a stable result. The incisions, once sutured, will be concealed. After surgery, a light compressive bandage is applied to maintain moderate pressure on the operated area in order to reduce the swelling and protect the wounds. Postoperative adjustment requires about one month (the period is necessary to obtain the final result).  A brief period of absolute rest (24-48 hours) is advisable after surgery. The patient may gradually return to normal activities starting from the second-third week.

Post-facelift warning

As soon as the medications are removed, the patient can wash the hair again, preferably with neutral and/or antiseptic products. It is instead preferable to wait at least three weeks before submitting to hair treatments and dyeing. An important warning is to avoid exposure to the sun after facial surgery. Hence, the use of total protection sun creams is indicated (better if accompanied by sunglasses and a hat). If the patient is a man, some caution is recommended during daily shaving, which should be performed with an electric razor as it is less aggressive than blades.

Alternative options

Excellent results in terms of skin rejuvenation can also be obtained through treatments with fillers and/or Botox, laser surgery, chemical peeling and liposculpture. These treatments are often combined with a facelift to obtain better results.