subject: Important Facts You Should Know About Having A Facelift Procedure [print this page] A face lift, also referred to as rhytidectomy, is probably the most familiar cosmetic procedure to most people. This procedure is used to improve the appearance of a persons face to make them look more youthful. Although injectables and fillers such as BOTOX injections and Juvederm have gained in popularity over the last few years for eliminating wrinkles, a facelift is still the desired procedure for those people who want to get an overall improvement for their faces.
Rhytidectomy is considered to be major surgery and it is used to tighten loose skin and sagging that is commonly experienced during the natural aging process. A facelift can also be used to remove deep creases that occur below the lower eyelids or along the nose that extend to the corner of the mouth. As you age, the fat beneath the skin may fall down or loss of muscle tone in the lower face may create jowls. Some people seek a facelift to eliminate a double chin that is the result of excess fat beneath the chin and can occur in persons of normal weight.
Start by finding a reputable surgeon to perform the procedure. During an initial consultation, the surgeon will take a thorough medical history and evaluate your skin, bone structure, and other features of your face to determine if you are a good candidate for the facelift. If you are a good candidate for rhytidectomy, then you will be given pre-op instructions including a list of medications you should not take prior to the procedure. You may also be given additional medications to take beforehand. It is also an essential part of the procedure that you stop smoking before the facelift. Smoking during this period can lead to tissue death at the incision sites so you will need to stop smoking a month before the procedure.
You will most likely be given general anesthesia for the facelift. You can normally expect to have incisions in front of and behind each ear which may go all the way into the scalp. It may take anywhere from two to four hours to complete the procedure, depending on the extent of the repair. Most people experience mild to moderate discomfort after the procedure. While you will be ready for some socializing after two weeks, it will take as much as three months before the bruising and swelling are no longer a factor.
