Facelift

Confidence in Yourself and Your Surgeon

Experience matters. A facelift can counteract unwanted signs of aging on the face by tightening muscles, removing fat and trimming excess skin to help patients achieve a younger, fresher look. After surgery, some patients look up to 10 or 15 years younger than before.

Over time, gravity, sun exposure and the stresses of daily life take their toll on our faces and necks, creating deep creases, loose folds and jowls. Fortunately, these changes can be effectively treated through a safe facelift procedure performed under the precise direction of Dr. Alexander. With almost two decades of facelift experience, his surgical wisdom and artistic sense have earned him the trust and confidence of countless happy patients seeking successful facial plastic surgery. Dr. Alexander's patients appreciate the inconspicuous enhancement he provides for a more natural result.

Facelifts are most effective in treating:

• Midface sagging
• Deep creases between the nose and mouth (nasolabial folds)
• Jowls due to loss of muscle tone
• Sagging areas of fat
• Loose skin and fat under the chin and jaw

Technically known as a rhytidectomy, a facelift rejuvenates the mid- to lower face and neck. This procedure may be combined with others, such as forehead lift, eyelid surgery or rhinoplasty for maximum results. Patients should be generally healthy prior to undergoing a facelift. Dr. Alexander will discuss, educate and provide information about all of the risks and benefits of this procedure with you during your pre-surgical consultation.

Facelift Procedure

Facelifts are typically performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia. The procedure takes about three to four hours.

The way a facelift is performed varies depending on the patient's facial structure and the extent of correction desired. The three most common incision techniques are:

• Traditional facelift: The "full" facelift for rejuvenating the face, jowls and neck, including fat sculpting, lifting and repositioning of muscle and deeper tissues, and skin trimming and redraping. The incision begins at the temples and travels down to the front of the ear, around the earlobe, and behind the ear to the lower scalp at the hairline. Sometimes, another incision is made under the chin.
• Neck lift: A neck lift concentrates on jowls, loose skin on the neck, and fat under the chin. The incision is made around the ear lobe and behind the ear to the lower scalp.

In both methods, incisions are closed with stitches or tissue glue. Scars are hidden in the hairline and natural contours of the face.

Recovery from Facelift

Allow yourself time to relax and heal. After your facelift procedure, Dr. Alexander will wrap the incisions in bandages and may place drainage tubes in the area. The tubes are removed two to three days after surgery. If surgical clips are used to hold the incisions closed, they will be removed approximately one week after the procedure, along with any stitches.

Patients may experience swelling, numbness, bruising and a feeling of tightness in the face or neck. Your face may look uneven or distorted, and your facial muscles may feel stiff. These symptoms usually resolve within three to six weeks, with sensation returning to the face within a few months. Most scars continue to improve with time as well. Most patients can return to work after two to three weeks, but should avoid exercise and strenuous activities for at least four to six weeks. Patients can use makeup to camouflage the appearance of any bruising. Dr. Alexander strives to provide noticeable yet natural-looking results that are more attractive.

It is important for patients to realize that the results of a facelift do not last forever, and do not make patients immune to the effects of aging. But in another sense, the effects are permanent, as years later your face will continue to look better than if you had never had a facelift.

» To learn more about the stunning results possible with a facelift performed by Dr. Alexander, please contact us today to schedule a consultation.

back to top