Are you considering a facelift to rejuvenate your appearance? A facelift is designed to reduce the visible signs of aging in your neck and face—it targets sagging skin, loose muscles, excess fat accumulation, and deep wrinkles and creases. The procedure achieves these goals through three different stages: removing extra fat; tightening underlying muscles; and repositioning facial and neck skin.
While a facelift won’t—and shouldn’t—change your fundamental appearance, it does enhance your features. A facelift can’t stop the aging process, but it will restore the muscles and tissues of the face to their youthful position, refreshing your appearance for years to come. Each of the steps in a facelift is crucial to creating balanced results. The sequence of the steps can be altered based on the personalized approach developed for your surgery.
Steps in a Facelift
1. Removing extra fat. One of the classic signs of an aging face is the development of jowls, which occurs when muscle tone is lost and fat descends, making the jawline less distinct. During a facelift, fat can be removed or redistributed from troublesome areas such as the jowls, the neck, or the chin. You’ll see a smoother, more pronounced contour once the extra fat is removed.
2. Tightening the muscles. During the procedure, the underlying muscles and membranes are tightened. During this step, the face is actually “lifted” to a more youthful position when the musculature is addressed; removing drooping skin alone is not sufficient to affect lasting change in the face. Along with the removal of fat, this step makes jowls disappear and corrects sagging in the midface. A smooth, younger-looking neck can also result if it needs correction.
3. Repositioning the skin. Once the work is completed in the deepest layers, excess skin is trimmed and gently redraped over the facial features. This final step in the facelift procedure is crucial to the overall result; if not performed by an experienced surgeon with a skillful touch, the face can look “windblown,” displaying excessively tight features. While the goal is smooth features and the elimination of deep wrinkles and folds, an age-appropriate appearance is still desirable.
Youthful Results
A facelift can allow you to enjoy the coming years with more confidence, knowing that your face is smoother, firmer, and more youthful. A total facial rejuvenation might also include an eyelid lift or a browlift; additional nonsurgical procedures such as microdermabrasion can improve the quality of the skin itself, enhancing the surgical improvements. Dr. Zevon is always available to provide advice on which procedures will help you meet your aesthetic goals. Please contact us to arrange a consultation.
