Facelift

Yes a facelift will make you look substantially younger, on average about 10 years younger. Please know that we pride ourselves on natural, long-lasting results. We could do a facelift that might make you look 15 years younger, but that risks looking overdone and so there is an artist balance that is crucial. Interestingly, twin studies have shown that the twin that had a facelift looked younger throughout the rest of her life compared to her twin.

For mild loose skin, there are skin care products and non-surgical treatments like Scarlet, Clear and Brilliant and lasers that we offer through our MD Skin Centers. However, for more significant skin laxity associated with normal aging or substantial weight loss, a facelift is often your best option.

The two main reasons for double chin are extra fat and extra skin. If there is a subtle double chin, non-surgical treatments that we offer like CoolScuplting and Kybella may be an option. In younger patients, liposuction may be an excellent treatment as the skin has enough elasticity to tighten up. As you get less young however, a neck lift is often the best choice to both remove excess fat and tighten the skin.

To prepare for a Facelift here are the dos and don’ts. Do use medical-grade skin care for healthy skin. Do not use any tobacco or nicotine products or take aspirin, drugs, supplements that increase the risk of bleeding.

Sleeping in a recliner or angled bed at 45-60 degrees is the best way to minimize swelling after facial procedures. Then ice compresses, used carefully, in the first 2 days may also feel comfortable and play a role in reducing the amount of swelling. And finally, arnica taken before and after surgery (and used topically), can minimize bruising which also lessens swelling.

It is important to individualize any facial treatment and the jawline is no exception. For some, botoxing the masseter (the chewing muscle) will reduce bulk and smooth the jawline. For others, adding fat or fillers may be enough to strengthen the jawline and improve the appearance. And then for those with a little more looseness, a facelift may be the ideal treatment.

There are several ways to help reduce swelling after a facelift. Before surgery, taking both arnicas (to minimize bruising) and bromelian (to minimize inflammation) will help with swelling after surgery. We provide these to you at no charge at the time of your preop visit. After surgery, continuing the arnica and bromelian remain important. Plus, sleeping with your head elevated (sleeping at an incline like in a recliner) and minimizing your activity will also help to reduce the swelling.

For the most part, taking care of your face is very straight forward. For the first few days, you will be in a bandage or garment and there is nothing to do. When those come off, you can wash your face with a gentle cleanser. Then, after the stitches are removed, you can quickly return to your normal skin care routine. Consider adding an antioxidant like daily power defense to get your skin back to its best quicker and it also helps to minimize the visibility of scars.

On the day of procedure, you will be up and walking. Within a few days, you will be pleasantly surprised how little downtime there really is. That said, you should not engage in any vigorous physical activity for at least 4 weeks after surgery: try to minimize lifting anything over 5 pounds and bending over at the waist as this increases pressure in the face and neck. Walking is okay in the first week. You could chip and putt (if you are a golfer) by the third week. And by week four you are almost back to normal.

You will look better for the rest of your life: actual twin studies have shown this to be the case. However, gravity and normal aging dont stop after a facelift. On average, patients develop enough laxity that they start to think about further surgery in 7-10 years. Investing in maintenance treatments (medical grade skin care, regular facials, Botox and the occasional non-surgical tightening) can greatly extend your result.

Fat transfer is permanent. When it is first injected into the face, there is some swelling with the procedure, so what you see in the first days after surgery is not all fat. And not all of the fat transferred will survive. On average, about 70% lives. We don’t over correct as occasionally all of the fat survives and then you would be \u201coverdone. You can expect to see the final result by 2-3 months and then the fat remains forever thereafter.

We encourage our patients to take arnica before and after surgery. That, combined with meticulous surgical technique and topical arnica gel afterwards leads to very little bruising. You can expect it to be almost completely gone by the end of your two weeks or social down-time.

Recovery from a facelift is surprisingly quick. The same day you will be up and walking with only slight discomfort. You can normally be back to work in two weeks and you can be back to activities without people noticing much by 3-4 weeks. We ask you have to refrain from vigorous physical activity for about 4 weeks after surgery.

On average, patients develop enough laxity that they start to think about further surgery in 7-10 years if they have not engaged in non-surgical maintenance after surgery. Non-surgical options can extend that by years. So, depending on when you had your first facelift, you may have 2 or even three facelifts in a lifetime. There really is no limit.

A midface life, when done by itself, will cost roughly $8,000. When a midface lift is performed at the time of facelift (as is often the case), the price is significantly reduced as there is a multi-procedure deduction.

Laser facelift is a technique where only the laser is used to improve the skin texture and appearance. There is no one laser that does everything and the cost varies with the laser used and the number of sessions. Depending on your unique needs, our surgeons may recommend either an ablative laser (requires you to be asleep and removes the outer layers of the skin and costs between $7,000-10,000)) or a non-ablative laser (does not remove any skin and you are awake for the treatment). Please call us to schedule a private consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons. We look forward to meeting you soon.

Rejuvenation of the face and neck can address: texture - improving fine lines or pigmentation issues of the skin, volume, restoring volume (most commonly with your own fat) and laxity tightening the loose skin. Prices vary depending on what and how much we are addressing and range between $16,000 and $20,000. Our prices are all inclusive: the consult, all pre-operative visits, the surgery, anesthesia and surgery center, as well as all post-operative visits and garments. Please call us or click here to contact us regarding a private consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons. We pride ourselves on a patient-centric approach to serving you and look forward to meeting you soon.

Rejuvenation of the mid face addresses the lower eyelid and cheek area. A private consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons will determine if this is the right surgery for you. Prices vary depending on what and how much we are addressing and range between $8,000 for the mid face to $20,000 for the full face. Our prices are all inclusive: the consult, all pre-operative visits, the surgery, anesthesia and surgery center, as well as all post-operative visits and garments. Please call us or click here to contact us regarding a private consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons. We pride ourselves on a patient-centric approach to serving you and look forward to meeting you soon.

The answer may surprise you: a facelift is not very painful at all! With our enhanced recovery protocols and surgical techniques, you will be pleasantly surprised how little discomfort there is after a facelift. Most people need nothing stronger than Tylenol or ibuprofen. You will be up and walking the same day. Light walking and activities can be resumed fairly quickly and you are likely to have no discomfort after just a few days.

You will look more youthful for the rest of your life: actual twin studies have shown this to be the case. However, gravity and normal aging dont stop after a facelift. On average, patients develop enough laxity that they start to think about further surgery in 7-10 years. Investing in maintenance treatments (medical grade skin care, the Mira facial system, regular facials, Botox and the occasional non-surgical tightening) can greatly extend your result.

Most importantly, you can expect to look natural! Rejuvenation of the face and neck can address several issues: texture - improving fine lines or pigmentation issues of the skin; volume restoring volume (most commonly with your own fat); and laxity tightening the loose skin. Our surgeons work with you to create a truly customized facial rejuvenation plan. Depending on your individual needs, your facelift will address each of these issues to varying degrees.

The medical term for a facelift is rhytidectomy. A rhytid is the medical term for a wrinkle and ectomy means to remove. So rhytidectomy is literally removing wrinkles.

A mid-facelift, also known as a cheek lift, is a powerful procedure that focuses on the lower eyelid and cheeks. It can be done endoscopically (using very small incisions and a small camera) or open (often done at the same time as a facelift and through the same incisions). A mid-facelift repositions the descended cheek back to its original position and smooths the transition from the cheek to the lower eyelid.

One of the medical terms for a necklift is rhytidectomy. A rhytid is the medical term for a wrinkle and ectomy means to remove. So rhytidectomy is literally removing wrinkles. Another term for a neck lift is platysmaplasty. The platysma is the most superficial muscle of the neck and contributes to vertical bands. Plasty means to repair. So a platysmaplasty repairs and tightens the muscle resulting in a more defined neckline.

A non-surgical facelift is a combination of minimally invasive procedures that require no incisions and no general anesthesia. You are in and out of the office quickly, with little downtime and minimal post treatment discomfort. The components are individualized to your needs and are designed to rejuvenate and refresh your appearance without going under the knife. Book a consultation today to take years off of you appearance without anyone ever knowing you had something done.

A thread lift is a minimally invasive alternative to a facelift and works best for people that have just started noticing signs of aging (usually late 30s to mid 40s). It uses a dissolvable, barbed suture to sculpt and shape the area you want lifted. The invisible, painless barbs of the suture allow us to pull your skin tighter. As the suture dissolves, your body replaces it with collagen that can fill gaps in sagging skin and restore a more youthful appearance.

Quite simply, there is not best age for a facelift. People of the same age may look much older or younger than one another and the decision to have a facelift is a very personal one. A facelift in your mid-forties or early fifties typically achieves ideal results without anyone ever noticing. As you get older, exceptional results can still be achieved but the results are usually more evident. Ideally, we recommend a first facelift in the mid-40’s to early 50’s with a refresher in your mid to late 60’s. However, even people in their late 70’s and early 80’s are candidates for facelifts as long as they are generally healthy.

The average cost of a full facelift (which includes a necklift) is $15,000. If other procedures are performed at the same time, there is a multi-procedure deduction. For example, a mid face lift is often performed at the same time and there is a $1,000 deduction for combining those surgeries. Another common example is an upper lid blepharoplasty or lift which again has a $1,000 deduction for being done at the same time.

The deep plane facelift is an older technique where the skin and fascia of the face were raised together as a single layer. There was a greater risk of injury to the facial nerve (the nerve of facial expression: blink, smile, raise your eyebrows) and no proven cosmetic benefit. The SMAS facelift is the latest technique and raises the layers separately. This allows us to address the layers independently creating customization in restoring individual and natural facial shape.

The answer is it depends. A facelift in your mid-forties or early fifties typically achieves ideal results without anyone ever noticing. As you get older, exceptional results can still be achieved but the results are usually more evident. Ideally, we recommend a first facelift in the mid-40’s to early 50’s with a refresher in your mid to late 60’s. However, even people in their late 70’s and early 80’s are candidates for facelifts as long as they are generally healthy.

There are several types of facelift procedures, including traditional facelifts and mid-facelifts. Each targets different areas and degrees of aging. Choosing the right one depends on your specific needs and goals and on your consultation with a qualified plastic surgeon whose expertise will guide you to the best decision for your unique situation.

A facelift can be combined with other procedures, such as eyelid surgery, brow lift, or neck lift, offering more comprehensive rejuvenation and balanced results. Combining procedures can also reduce overall recovery time and cost compared to having them separately.

Common misconceptions include the belief that facelifts result in an unnatural appearance, have extremely long recovery times, and are only for older individuals. Advances in techniques have made facelifts more natural-looking, with more manageable recovery periods and suitable for a broader age range.

Most patients see initial improvements within a few weeks, but full results typically appear around three to six months post-surgery, as swelling and bruising completely subside.

Facelifts offer more dramatic and long-lasting results than non-surgical treatments, which generally provide temporary and less extensive improvements. Non-surgical options may be suitable for mild to moderate aging concerns, while facelifts address more significant signs of aging.