Over the years, your face gradually loses skin tone and elasticity and wrinkles appear. The aim of the face lift is to smooth out the skin of the face and neck and to retighten the underlying muscles – restoring a fresh and youthful appearance.
The indisputable rejuvenating effect of such a procedure varies from patient to patient but most agree that it has made them look 10 to 12 years younger.
It is a permanent rejuvenation, as even though the ageing process continues to take its toll, the years regained are not lost – you will always look younger than if you had done nothing. It is important to note that the tissue that has been tightened will not sag as fast as before.
Today, we no longer speak of a face lift in the singular, but of face lifts in the plural. There is a variety of techniques to suit everyone, enabling ‘à la carte’ rejuvenation. Each part of the face can be given a new shape, whatever the problem might be.
Various factors should be considered for all face lifts: firstly of course, your wishes, but also the condition of your skin, your face type and the experience of the plastic surgeon. Finding the right balance is vital to the success of the surgery, and something we always ardently strive for.
The neck/face lift is the most commonly performed and most recognised form of cosmetic surgery. It is usually performed about the age of 50, when the skin and muscles of the face and neck begin to sag. But it can sometimes be necessary at about 40, where there is premature ageing caused by excessive exposure to the sun, extreme weight fluctuations, or smoking. The neck/face lift restores the oval shape of the face, smooths the deep creases from the corners of the mouth to the jaw line, tightens the neck, and removes jowls and double chins. In most cases, all the tissue that has dropped down is raised up to its original position. The procedure has no effect at all on the forehead or eyelids.
THE PROCEDURE The surgery itself takes several hours.
The face lift operation can take place under general or local anaesthetic with intravenous sedation.
The operation involves the redraping of the skin without it being pulled too much, so that the skin retains all its natural qualities and look, not the overly tight ‘American style’.
At the same time, the surgeon tightens the underlying muscles of the neck and cheeks.
The incisions are made above the hair line and behind and inside the ear so that the scars are as unnoticeable as possible, or even invisible.
The procedure involves hardly any change to the hair line. AFTER SURGERY One (rare) complication can be extended numbness, namely of the ears, the cheeks and around the scars. This is of course only of a temporary nature.
For the first 8 to 10 days following surgery, the face is often swollen with some bruising but this soon disappears. The face will regain its natural look during the second week. It is then possible to organise a few sessions to drain the lymph glands in order to speed up the results and reduce scarring. Most patients return to work after 2 weeks. IN CONCLUSION
A well-performed face lift yields fantastic results.
Although the procedure makes you look about 10 years younger in just a few hours, it can never completely restore the face you once had – this is because it is not only your skin and muscles that change with age, but also the bone structure (jaw and cheek bones) which of course is not affected by the surgery. But when the procedure is performed by an experienced and qualified plastic surgeon, the overall look of the face will not change, this remains natural.
The effects of surgery last for 10 to 15 years, depending on the ageing process that of course continues on afterwards.
A face lift can be repeated 2 or 3 times in a lifetime.
The face lift is surgery that makes you feel good about yourself and makes your face look as young as you feel again.
A face lift is more than just cosmetic surgery, it is also an art. It is a procedure that demands quality results. At ELYZEA Cosmetic Surgery, the plastic surgeon specialised in face lifts always ensures a harmonious balance and natural look of the face.
