Face Lift Procedures

One of the most pressing issues that individuals that are interested in undergoing facelift want to resolve relates to the procedures involved in this treatment. Medically known as rhytidectomy, there are a number of surgical techniques that have been grouped under the umbrella term of facelift surgery. Considering the highly individualized nature of the surgery, one of the most important parts of the facelift surgery process is selecting a board certified, highly qualified plastic surgeon that you will trust. Much of the surgical results will depend on how extensive you and your plastic surgeon has detailed how your facelift surgery should go. Despite the numerous methods available for plastic surgeons to perform a facelift, the basic goal underlines these different surgical techniques. Facelift surgery is designed to assist people reverse the effects of aging by eliminating the physical evidence of time such as deep creases that form between the nose and mouth, the evolution of a jaw line that has grown slack and jowly, and the appearance of folds and fat deposits around the neck. It does this by removing excess fat, tightening muscles, and re-draping the patient's skin. These steps effectively eliminate or at least minimize the appearance of sagging facial skin, jowls, and loose neck skin.

A surgical procedure that generally takes several hours to complete, facelift surgery is usually performed in an outpatient surgery center. However, depending on the extent of facelift surgery that a patient is obtaining or whether they are undergoing this treatment in addition to other cosmetic surgeries, facelift surgery can also be performed in a surgeon's office-based facility or a hospital. Patients that have an additional medical issue such as diabetes or high blood pressure, they may be required to have a short inpatient stay to monitor the aftereffects of surgery.

Facelift surgeries are usually performed under local anesthesia that is combined with an oral sedative. As a result, patients are awake during the surgery but their face will be insensitive to pain. The patient will be relaxed, although there may be some instances where they will feel mild discomfort. Other plastic surgeons prefer to use general anesthesia during facelift surgery. The most powerful form of anesthesia, the use of general anesthesia will ensure that the patient will be asleep throughout the whole operation. Regardless of the type of anesthesia that is applied to a patient, it is recommended that the patient insist that a medical practitioner experienced in applying anesthesia is responsible for this portion of the surgery.

The steps of a facelift surgical procedure will vary depending on the technique of the plastic surgeon that is performing this treatment and on the patient's facial structure. To learn more of the specifics of a custom facial plastic surgery, it is strongly recommended that you ask detailed questions to plastic surgeons while you are determining which plastic surgeon is most appropriate to you.