| Dr. Stuart H. Bentkover is a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Facelift.
Q. What is a facelift?
A. A facelift is a procedure which tightens a supporting layer of the face in a natural direction to try to re-establish a more youthful appearance. This supporting layer (the SMAS or subcutaneous muscular aponeurotic system) is repositioned at a higher level. The skin of the face moves with it and is then trimmed around the ears.
Q. What are the benefits of a facelift procedure?
A. A re-juvenated, more youthful appearance with tighter skin and a restored, more defined jawline and neckline.
Q. Are there significant risks associated with facelift surgery?
A. While there are real risks associated with any surgical procedure, the risks of a significant complication in the hands of a board certified facial plastic surgeon should be very low. The most common complications, which are rare, are bleeding and infection. There is a very low risk to the function of branches of the facial nerve, the nerve that works the muscles of the face. I have never seen a permanent injury. You can expect some numbness around your ears that often goes away over time. Depending on your age, you may be more prone to some asymmetry as you heal. Younger tissues, ages 45-60, heal better.
Q. Can I expect permanent results from a facelift?
A. This surgery has long lasting but not permanent results. Typically, you can expect to look better than how you started out for about 8-10 years. Unfortunately, you continue to age and factors such as sun exposure, smoking and genetic tendencies affect how you look and age. The best age for a first facelift is 45-55. You should still look a younger 60 or so than you otherwise would have looked if you get your first face lift at about 45.
Q. Is there a common technique for facelift procedures?
A. While there are many names for different types of facelifts and mini facelifts, mostly involve repositioning the SMAS layer below the skin. Procedures that actually cut and move the SMAS layer seem to last longer than procedures that just tighten the SMAS with a few sutures. A full lower facelift (the most common type of facelift) is a procedure to tighten the jawline, outer cheeks, and the neck. A cheek lift is a minilift which is the upper part of this procedure and tightens just the cheek and jawline. A mid facelift elevates just the upper cheeks and middle of the face. A platysmaplasty tightens the tissues under the chin. A full neck lift tightens the entire neck and includes the platysmaplasty. A triplane facelift combines the full lower facelift with a mid face lift. A forehead or browlift elevates the brows. These are explained in detail on my website:
Q. Is a facelift performed under general anesthesia?
A. In my opinion, all these procedures are done most safely and comfortably with general anesthesia (plus using local anesthesia to permit a lighter anesthesia) or local anesthesia with intravenous sedation. Any kind of facelift done under just local anesthesia (even with some pre-op oral sedation) can be risky because of the amount of local anesthesia needed and can be uncomfortable. I like my patients to have a safe and positive experience.
Q. How do I find a qualified surgeon in my area?
A. A few years ago I was chairman of the World Wide Web Committee for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. We redesigned our website with a surgeon finder that will show you qualified facial plastic surgeons near your home. Here is the link to that page: http://www.aafprs.org/patient/finder/finder.cfm. |
