LiftingYour Face!

Lifting Your Spirits—and Your Face!

Facelifts are one of the most common cosmetic surgeries available to the public, with thousands done every year in the United States alone. As we age, the skin on our faces loosens and wrinkles. That is simple a fact of life. For those who are aging less gracefully than others, a face lift can be done. Talk to a cosmetic surgeon today to learn how a face lift can work for you. Most frequently, face lifts are done in conjunction with other types of cosmetic surgeries.

Facelifts cannot stop you from aging. Once you have a facelift, your skin will still continue to age, so you may not see the results you hope for. This is not your doctor's fault—this is life. Medicine can only do so much to improve our looks. At your initial consultation, your doctor will go over how the face lift will work for you and talk to you about the results you will see. In most cases, you will be able to see a digitally enhanced version of your face as it will appear after surgery. Make sure that your doctor answers all of your questions.

The actual face lift begins with a few small incisions—at the temple near the hairline, below the earlobe, and behind the ear in the hair. The muscles and sagging tissues in your face will be tightened and excess skin will be removed. The result is a lifted face, hence the name. Your doctor will then stitch the incisions. In some cases, small inquisitions will be made used the chin as well to lift the neck.

Facelifts usually take about two to three hours to complete and can be done in a hospital or in your doctor's surgical office suite. An anesthesiologist will provide either light sedation or deep sedation, depending on your preference, and in most cases, you can return home that day night. The amount of pain you will experience depends on the amount of cosmetic surgery being done, and this also affects the amounts of swelling you will see and recovery time.

Remember that a face lift is still a surgery, even though they are usually done casually in the United States. There are still very real risks involved, and you will need at least two weeks to fully recover. Face lifts are not for everyone, including people who have health risks. The best candidates are those with good skin elasticity, non smokers, and those who have taken the time to think through the process and expect realistic results.