What is a Facelift?

Benefits of a Facelift

Am I a Good Candidate for a Facelift?

How do you know if a facelift is right for you? If you’re a healthy adult who wants to eliminate loose or sagging skin and reverse the signs of aging around your facial area, then you might want to consider a facelift. It can also help to improve:

• Loose or sagging skin in the middle of your face

• Sagging jowls or skin around the jawline
• Fat deposits or sagging skin beneath your chin, which can create a double chin or turkey neck.

Dr. Taghizadeh will sit down with you and examine your facial features to determine whether or not a facelift procedure is right for you. Some important factors include:

• Your skin’s overall condition: Your skin needs to be at least somewhat flexible and elastic in order for the procedure to be most effective.
• Your bone structure: During a facelift procedure a lot of your face’s fat and tissue is moved around or relocated. Your face’s overall bone structure needs to be able to support the shifting.
• Your health: If you have poor overall health or a preexisting medical condition you might not be a good candidate for facial surgery. For any major surgery, it’s important that you be in good health, not only for the procedure itself, but to aid in recovery after it’s finished.
• Your Expectations of the Results: The results of facelift procedures vary from patient to patient. In order to get maximum satisfaction from the surgery, it’s essential that you go in with realistic expectations of what the procedure can do for you and what you’ll look like once it’s complete.

The Facelift Procedure

For many patients, a facelift is one of the safest and easiest ways to smooth wrinkles, erase fine lines and obtain an overall more youthful appearance. The procedure begins with anesthetic. Dr. Taghizadeh usually recommends a general dosage to ensure that you sleep during the surgery. However, some patients prefer to be alert and awake, so you may discuss your options with the doctor.

After anesthetic is administered, Dr. Taghizadeh continues the facelift surgery by making an incision at one temple line. From there, he continues the incision onto the area just above the ear and then circles around the earlobe and returns back to the point of the initial incision. Dr. Taghizadeh will gently move the skin outward for repositioning and tightening, smoothing out the surface. If necessary, he may excise excess fat or skin. Finally, the doctor will close the incision with fine sutures, leaving you with a rejuvenated, younger looking face.

Revision Facelift

If you’ve had a previous facelift and the results are proving unsatisfactory or otherwise problematic, Dr. Taghizadeh can perform revision surgery to help correct the previous procedure. A revision surgery takes special care and an expert hand to carry out correctly and provide a lasting, natural look in the end, but Dr. Taghizadeh is qualified for the job.

There are two basic ways a facelift surgery can cause problems: Under-treated surgeries don’t last very long and can cause the skin to start sagging again after a while or wrinkles and lines to reappear. Over-treated surgeries, on the other hand, make the skin too tight and leave the patient’s face with a hollow, sunken look. Both of these issues can damage and distort a person’s appearance.

Mini Facelift

A mini facelift is smaller in scope and less invasive than a full facelift. Incisions are made in the same places, but they’re smaller and less noticeable. A mini facelift generally targets a single area, such as the cheek muscles or the neck. It’s a more minor surgical procedure, and recovery is generally quicker.

Facelift Recovery

After a facelift procedure, you can expect a short period of recovery and possible bruising or slight swelling. Dr. Taghizadeh will explain how to use ice packs around different areas of your face to reduce swelling. This can greatly reduce some of the discomfort you may experience. In addition, the doctor will recommend that you rest for at least two days after the surgery. During this time, it’s wise to eat and drink lightly, such as broths, soups, and clear beverages. It’s possible that the anesthesia can impact your appetite and digestion, making you feel slightly nauseated when consuming solid foods. Some patients are comfortable with heavier foods within a few days after the facelift procedure.

In general, you should take it easy for a few days after the facelift in order to speed up your recovery. Patients are usually able to return to work and normal daily activities within a week or so.

How Long Does A Face Lift Last?

It’s important to note that a facelift only reverses the physical effects of aging on your face. It does not stop the aging process altogether. Therefore, even after you’ve had a facelift, the effects of aging may still continue to wear on your face after a while. Your face may lose elasticity with age, as well as suffer the ill effects of smoking, weight loss or gain, sun damage and more. All of these things may negatively impact the results of your facelift over time. Once your skin has been rejuvenated, it’s important to keep it looking young and healthy for as long as possible. This means proper skin care, sunscreen, a healthy diet and lifestyle and avoiding smoking and other harmful behaviors. This will help your facelift to last longer and keep you looking young for years to come.

Most insurance companies consider plastic surgery to be an elective procedure and do not offer coverage for these procedures; a facelift treatment is usually excluded from policies. In order to make these procedures and other plastic surgeries financially accessible and affordable, Arizona Facial Plastics, PC accepts cash, checks and credit cards. In addition, financing is offered through Prosper® Healthcare Lending and CareCredit®. If you have any questions about the facelift procedure, recovery, costs or financing options at Arizona Facial Plastics, PC, please give us a call.