Facial Lift Surgery

Facial lift surgery can make you look younger.

If you have a sagging face and jowls, wrinkles or loose skin on your neck, you may have considered getting facial lift surgery. Most people who get a face lift are more than 40 years old. Both men and women get face lifts to get rid of any signs of aging, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Identification

Facial lift surgery removes excess skin to make your face look younger. Not only does the aging process make the skin looser, over time, people lose muscle tone and fat in their faces. Sometimes people need more than just a face lift to achieve desired results. Some procedures that typically go along with a face lift are a neck lift, eyelid surgery, liposuction, fat injection, brow lift, chin implants or a chemical peel.

Procedure

With a traditional face lift, your surgeon will make an incision starting at your hairline and going around your ears. Your surgeon will lift your skin and fatty tissues forward enough to tighten the skin. The doctor will remove your extra skin and close the wound with sutures. Your surgeon will bandage your face when the procedure is complete.

Complications

Complications are not the normal course of events, but they do happen, according to MedicineNet.com. You might experience bleeding or bruising, get an infection, lose muscle sensation (which is usually temporary, but could be permanent), have a visible scar, lose your hair around the site of the incision, have an uneven face or lose some skin from the tissue dying.

Benefits

In about three to five days after surgery, your doctor will remove your bandages. Most people go back to work and resume normal activities in 10 to 14 days. Many people love the results of their face lifts and look younger after the procedure. The results last about 10 years.

Complementary Surgeries

You can combine additional procedures with your face lift. Facial implants can help to reshape your face. You might want them if you have a sunken face, receding chin or have a tired look. For deep forehead creases, hooding over your eyes or drooping eyebrows, you may want a brow lift. For hooded upper eyelids and puffy eyes with bags under them, eyelid surgery can help.

Costs

Face lifts ranged in price from $6,000 to $25,000, as of 2008, according to DocShop.com. Prices vary depending on the procedure you are having done, your location and the experience of the surgeon.

References

• DocShop.com: Face Lift (Rhytidectomy)
• MedicineNet.com: Facelift Surgery
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Facial Surgery and Skin Care Surgical Procedures Guide