What is a facelift?

A facelift is an outpatient surgery performed to rejuvenate the face. The surgery involves the elevation of the skin of the face off of the underlying soft tissues, tightening of the deeper connective tissue, and re-draping and tightening of the facial skin.

What are the benefits of a facelift?

A facelift is a powerful tool for rejuvenating the face. Patients can appear a decade or more younger after the operation. 

Am I a good candidate for a facelift?

Facelift surgery is very popular, and one of the most sought after forms of cosmetic surgery in the world. Provided that they’re in good health, women and men in their fifties and beyond can be a good candidate for a facelift. Certain medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease can make you a poor candidate for elective invasive surgery. Patients who smoke that are seeking a facelift must also be willing to give up smoking for at least three weeks before and after their surgery.

How is a facelift performed?

Our surgeons perform facelift surgery under general anesthesia. Incisions are made around the ears and into the hairline. An additional incision is sometimes made under the chin. Through these incisions, the skin of the face is elevated off of the deeper soft tissue.

The deeper connective tissue of the face (or SMAS) is manipulated surgically. Flaps of the soft tissue can be elevated and re-suspended with suturing techniques that result in a lifting of the lower jaw soft tissue and elimination of the jowls.

The facial skin is re-draped over the reshaped deep tissue and excess skin is removed. The skin is then meticulously closed with sutures.

Surgical drains are placed and remain for between 24 and 48 hours. A bulky wrap is placed around the face to protect and compress the tissues.

What is facelift recovery like?

A facelift is an outpatient surgery where you will go home the same day. Our team will monitor your progress closely after surgery. You may feel tired and sore for a few days, but you should be mobile in one to two days. We will see you in our office one to two days after surgery to remove your initial dressings and drains.

The face is then rewrapped to continue compression. After a week a compression garment may be used.

While there initially is significant bruising and swelling, the majority of it tends to clear by the two-week point. Patients should be able to be out in public at that time without special dressings. At three weeks, most patients are completely recovered although subtle, residual swelling continues to diminish over the next six months.

What will the scarring look like?

Scars remain well concealed behind the hairline, around the ears, and sometimes under the chin.

Do you perform fat grafting?

Yes. Fat grafting has become an important adjunct to facelift surgery. Just as injectable fillers can temporarily restore volume to an aging face, a patient’s own fat can be used to fill volume deficiencies permanently. Fat is suctioned from an area of fatty deposit in the body using liposuction technique. The fat is then processed and injected into the cheeks and face as needed to restore fullness.  Approximately 50% of the grafted fat “takes”; so often areas are overcorrected to prepare for the final result.

Click here to view Facelift Before and After photos.

Why should I have my facelift performed at Samra Plastic Surgery?

Our team of board-certified plastic surgeons are very experienced in performing facelifts at a high volume. We are proficient in the latest techniques to minimize complications, decrease postoperative pain, speed up your recovery, and maximize your result.

We will carefully listen to your concerns about the appearance of your face and come up with a plan to maximize your cosmetic outcome together.

We perform the surgery in our discrete, private outpatient surgery center where the anesthesia team and nursing staff is well experienced with the procedure.

Contact us to set up a personal or virtual consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons today.