Facelift

Alternative Names: Rhytidectomy; Cosmetic surgery of the face

A facelift is a surgical procedure to repair sagging, drooping, and wrinkled skin of the face and neck.

Description of Procedure

A facelift can be done alone or with nose reshaping, a forehead lift, or eyelid surgery.

While you are sleepy (sedated) and pain-free (local anesthesia), or deep asleep and pain-free (general anesthesia), the plastic surgeon will make surgical cuts above the hairline at the temples, behind the earlobe, to the lower scalp. Often, this is a continuous cut.

Many different techniques exist, and the outcomes are similar.

During a facelift, the surgeon may:

• Remove and "lift" some of the fat tissue underneath the skin (called the SMAS layer; this is the main lifting part of the facelift)
• Remove or move loose skin
• Tighten muscles
• Perform liposuction of the neck and jowls
• Use stitches (sutures) to close the cuts

Risks of Facelift

Risks for any anesthesia are:

• Problems breathing
• Reactions to medications

Risks for any surgery are:

• Bleeding
• Infection

Other risks include:

• A pocket of blood under the skin (hematoma) that may need to be drained
• Damage to the nerves that control muscles of the face (this is usually temporary)
• Wounds that do not heal well
• Pain that does not go away
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation

Although most patients are happy with the outcomes, poor cosmetic results that may require additional surgery include:

• Unpleasant scarring
• Asymmetry of the face
• Fluid that collects under the skin
• Irregular skin shape (contour)
• Changes in skin color
• Sutures that become visible or cause irritation

Facelift - series

Review Date: 10/15/2009
Reviewed By: David A. Lickstein, MD, FACS, specializing in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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