A facelift is an excellent cosmetic procedure that can take years off your appearance. It can tighten facial muscles, remove loose skin, and redistribute fat. However, a facelift is more invasive than many other cosmetic procedures. Luckily, plastic surgeons have developed ways to make it less so. You need to know this about facelift surgery before deciding if it’s right for you.
Less Invasive
With surgical techniques, a skilled facial plastic surgeon, in this case, Joel Aronowitz, can reduce sagging skin, deep wrinkles, creases, and a double chin. A facelift also helps restore the underlying structure to a more youthful configuration. This puts less skin tension and ensures the results last longer. A complete facelift is performed under sedation and local anesthesia. The surgeon will make incisions hidden in the natural skin creases of your temples and around the ears to prevent visible signs of surgery. He will then reposition the underlying muscle and tissue and redistribute displaced fat in the neck and face. Other cosmetic procedures like fillers and dermabrasion focus on the outer layer of the skin. These don’t address skin laxity or the jowls that can cause people to look older than they are.
Faster Recovery
A facelift is a much quicker solution to many signs of aging than nonsurgical options. In addition, surgery is safer than other cosmetic procedures for people who want to feel and look younger. For example, a skilled facial plastic surgeon, Joel Aronowitz, MD, uses modern techniques that create flattering and natural-looking results. He places the incisions carefully in discreet locations and closes them meticulously so that scarring is nearly invisible once healed. During the first week after your facelift, you may experience some swelling and bruising. However, as the tissues heal, these side effects will improve daily over several months. When you reach the 6-month mark, most lingering swell and bruising should be gone. You can return to work and other activities at this point.
Natural-Looking Results
The goal of a facelift is to restore the facial tissues to their original position. A facial plastic surgeon can achieve this without making the skin look pulled or tight. During the procedure, the surgeon may sculpt or redistribute the facial fat, which can also give more natural-looking results. While most facelift candidates are in their 50s or 60s, the surgery can be performed on younger individuals with a lot of elasticity and strong bone structure. The patient needs to be a non-smoker, and they must also be at a stable weight because significant changes in the body can affect the surgical result. Before the facelift, they discuss with the plastic surgeon what they want your results to look like and how they will change over time is a good idea. This will help the surgeon create a more realistic outcome and avoid overdoing it.
Permanent Results
A well-performed facelift can minimize the effects of aging, and it can help you look more like your younger self. A plastic surgeon takes excellent care to ensure the incisions are hidden and will blend seamlessly with your hairline. They also use surgical skill and experience to tighten deep facial muscles without a “pulled” or pinched appearance. During the facelift procedure, your doctor will administer medications for your comfort. Medications commonly include intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. The surgeon will then create an incision from the hairline at the temples to the ears or around the ear, and they may remove or redistribute fat from the neck and jawline. They will then lift the loose skin and tighten underlying muscles and tissues. Once the surgery is complete, the excess skin is removed, and the wounds are closed. The results of a facelift can last for seven to ten years.