Beauty surgery to reduce wrinkles of face
A face-lift is the most extensive way to remove or reduce the
appearance of wrinkles and sagging of the face caused by age. The skin
is literally lifted off the face so that the skin and the tissues
beneath can be tightened and the skin can be repositioned smoothly over
the face.
Why it is done
Face-lifts are done to make an older face look younger by eliminating
wrinkles and tightening the skin.
How well it works
Having
a face-lift can make your face appear younger and healthier. Your face
will continue to age, but a face-lift does indeed “take years off” your
face. For some people, this may increase self-confidence and reduce
anxiety over growing older.
A face-lift can reduce signs of ageing to a great extent, but it
cannot remove all facial wrinkles around the eyes, below the nose, and
around the lips.
For the procedure, you are either given general anesthesia or a
sedative through an intravenous line and local anesthesia to numb your
skin. Next, the surgeon makes an incision that starts in the temple area
and circles the ear. The skin is raised, and the muscle and tissue
underneath is tightened.
The surgeon may remove some fat and skin. The skin is then re-draped
over the face and the incision is sutured. The incision usually falls
along the hairline or in a place where the skin would naturally crease
so that it does not show after the surgery.
The surgery usually takes several hours. You may be able to go home
that day, but people sometimes spend one night in the hospital.
What to expect after
surgery
Your face will be bandaged after the surgery. The dressings are
usually removed 1 to 2 days later. If a drainage tube has been placed
(usually behind the ear), it will also be removed 1 to 2 days after the
surgery.
Your doctor will remove your stitches within 5 to 10 days.
Most people have very little pain after the surgery, but your doctor
may prescribe pain medicine for you in case you do have pain. Expect to
have swelling and bruising of the face. Cold compresses can help relieve
these side effects. Your doctor may instruct you to keep your head
elevated and still as much as possible.
It is important to avoid smoking and even second-hand smoke for 2 to
4 weeks before and after surgery. Tobacco smoke increases the risk for
skin and tissue death and will delay your face’s healing process and
make scarring worse.
Most people can return to their normal activities 2 to 3 weeks after
a face-lift.
At first your face will feel stiff and will probably look and feel
strange to you. This is normal, but it is important to be prepared for
it.
Numbness of the skin may last for weeks or months after the surgery.
Your skin may feel rough and dry for a few months. Men sometimes have to
shave in new places because the skin has been rearranged, but the
surgeon can sometimes avoid this.
The effectiveness and safety of your face-lift surgery depends
heavily upon the skill of your surgeon.
Risks/ problems that may be caused by having a face-lift include:
Reactions to the anesthesia.
Bleeding under the skin.
Infection.
Damage to the nerves that supply the muscles of the face. This can
cause paralysis or spasm in the face, but the effects are usually
temporary.
Hair loss (alopecia).
Tissue loss.
Scarring.
Blood clots in large veins traveling up to the heart and lungs
(pulmonary embolism). This is not common.
As with all cosmetic procedures, there is also the risk that the
results will not be what you expected. However, an experienced plastic
surgeon can usually give you a very clear idea of what to expect after
surgery.
What to think about?
As with other cosmetic procedures, you are more likely to be happy
with the results of your face-lift if you have clear, realistic
expectations about what the surgery can achieve and you share these with
your plastic surgeon.
Insurance companies do not cover the costs of face-lifts. It is
important to know what the total costs of the procedure will be,
including fees for the operating facility, the anesthesiologist’s and
surgeon’s fees, medicines, office visits, and other services and
materials. |