Facelift Surgery

Facelift Surgery – Newport Beach | Orange County

View Our Specials Facelift surgery, or a rhytidectomy, is designed to restore a more youthful appearance by removing major wrinkles and sagging skin. It involves tightening of the facial and neck muscles as well as the removal of any excess skin. The skin begins to wrinkle and sag as a result of age, sun exposure and genetics. Children and young adults have smooth, round faces due to evenly distributed fatty tissues in facial contours. Over time, the skin sags and folds causing the chin, jawline and neck to become prominent. Not only does a facelift improve facial appearance but also has a dramatic effect on the neck, enhancing its contour and profile. A face lift can make a patient look 5 to 10 years younger. Dramatic as the end results are, this is not a simple procedure. It requires a week to 10 days of recovery.

Before Facelift Surgery

We will evaluate your medical history in order to determine your overall health. Your doctor will discuss with you how your face can look and what you can expect from surgery. Our objective is to create a natural appearance that is pleasing to you. Before and After photographs will reveal what the surgery has accomplished. Preoperative Instructions: Avoid drugs that contain aspirin several weeks prior to surgery to minimize excess bleeding. You may be required to take antibiotics to prevent infection. You may be instructed to shampoo your hair the night before surgery. A small amount of hair may be shaved around your ears and temples.

The Facelift Procedure

A facelift is frequently performed in conjunction with eyelid surgery, brow lift, chin augmentation, and/or liposuction, to create an overall rejuvenation of the face. The procedure can be repeated as gravity continues its effects after the first surgery. Facelifts are performed in our surgery center under general anesthesia for total patient comfort. The surgeon will make incisions inside the hairline at the temple, in front of the ear, then around the earlobe and behind the ear, ending at the scalp area. Excess skin is removed and sagging muscles and connective tissues are tightened. Neck contouring may require an incision under the chin. Incisions are closed with small sutures. The procedure may take up to 5 hours depending on whether any other procedures are performed at the same time.

Post Operative Care

We recommend that you stay in our overnight suite or have someone drive you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours. Initially you will have a dressing wrapped around your head. You may or may not have surgical drains attached to bulbs hanging at your neck. These will be removed in approximately 24 hours. Stitches around the ears will be loosened or removed in a few days. The scalp sutures will be removed in 7-10 days. To minimize scarring, the doctor may remove the sutures in stages. Scarring fades quickly. Swelling and discoloration decrease within two weeks. Tightness in your face will be present for several weeks and there may be slight changes in your hair pattern around the incision. We recommend that you avoid the sun for several weeks after surgery. Complications following facelift are rare. These include bleeding, infection, loss of skin behind the ears, facial nerve injury, discoloration of the skin, numbness, asymmetry and scarring. Infection is rare due to the large blood supply to the face. As mentioned, the risk of bleeding is greater if you take aspirin or blood thinners within 2 weeks of the surgery. The risk of wound complications increases in diabetics, persons with a history of radiation, autoimmune and collagen disease as well as in smokers. By following pre- and post-operative instructions, you will minimize potential problems.

Facelift Recovery: What to Expect

In the weeks following surgery, the facial skin and area around the ear may be numb. There may also be some temporary discoloration as healing begins, which may take a few months to disappear. Occasionally, a facial nerve is bruised during surgery, resulting in temporary loss of function or sensation. However, actual permanent damage to the facial nerve is rare. The healing process is gradual, so you will not notice final results for up to 6 months. A single procedure often achieves the desired results. Most patients who have had facelifts are pleased with their new, more youthful appearance.

Facelift Revision Surgery

The goal of a facelift is to reverse the signs of aging on the face by tightening the underlying facial tissues and muscles, removing excess fatty deposits in the face, neck, and jaw, eliminating wrinkles, lines, and folds, and excising loose or saggy skin.  The effects of a well-done facelift are generally visible for about 7-10 years after the procedure, but unfortunately, despite our best efforts, time and environmental exposure continue to affect and damage our appearance.  Eventually, many people who have already had one facelift will seek another to correct the continued effects of time.  A revision, or secondary, facelift is, simply put, a facelift performed on an individual who has already had a prior facelift procedure at some point the past. Candidates for a revision facelift include:

• Individuals who have had a successful facelift 7-10 years previously, but are beginning to see the effects of aging reappear.  However, it is not necessary to wait this long before having a revision facelift; individuals who feel their facelift was successful but the results have not lasted as long as anticipated can also be excellent candidates.
• Individuals whose facelift did not correct ALL the signs of aging.  When a facelift is performed without an accompanying neck lift, for instance, the face may look rejuvenated while the neck and jawline remain lax, droopy, and/or saggy.  When performed without an accompanying cheek lift, the cheeks can remain droopy and the lower eyes hollowed out, undermining the results of the facelift.  A revision facelift can correct these problems for a better overall appearance.
• Individuals whose facelift resulted in a “windswept”, “tight”, or “pulled back” appearance.  Modern facelift techniques enable the experienced surgeon to manipulate the structures of the face at a deeper level than was possible in the past, leading to far more natural-looking results and more satisfied patients.

At the Newport Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Associates office, Dr. Hisham Seify offers plastic and reconstructive surgery to patients across Southern California including: Irvine, Tustin, Santa Ana, Mission Viejo and Newport Beach, California. Contact the Newport Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Associates office today to schedule your FREE Consultation!

*The information about Facelift Surgery was reviewed by Dr. Hisham M. Seify. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us using our contact form below.