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Facelift: Fight Against The Gravity

Facelift surgery (rhytidectomy) is cosmetic surgery aiming to lift the skin to make the face tighter and unwrinkled. It is specially designed to reduce drooping or sagging skin around the lower half of the face mainly the jowls and neck.

The soft tissue of the face begins to sag by external causes such as gravity, stress, sleep routine and eating habits. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583892/
Face sagging starts after the age of 40 and increases after 50. Both men and women, but especially women, choose this surgery to have a younger and fresher look. Thanks to new improved facelift techniques, there is no need to feel uncomfortable or worry about this complicated operation.

Although it is most preferred, there are still some questions that need to ask about facelift surgery. Therefore, we tried to gather all the useful information about this operation together. We will take a look at the whole process, its methods, safety, and prices.

READ: 7 Surprising Facelift Facts You Should Know

 

How Is Facelift Performed?

During the procedure, the surgeon usually makes an incision just above the ear, then extends the incision along the inside of the scalp in front of the ear to behind the earlobe. If the neck region will be operated, the surgeon makes an incision under the chin.
After the incisions are made, the skin is separated from the muscle and fatty tissue. Excess fat is removed, and the surgeon lifts and tightens the underlying muscle and tissue. Skin is then stretched and sutured back in its place. The operation may be performed under both general or local anesthesia. The entire procedure lasts 1.5-2 hours on average.
http://columbiasurgery.org/conditions-and-treatments/face-lift-rhytidectomy
The patients need to stay 1 night in the hospital. Incision scars are permanent but concealed by the hairline and natural contours of the face and ear. If you have short hair, you may consider to grow your hair before facelift to cover your incisions while they are healing. For the bald men, the operation can be performed under the chin.

You may have pain after the operation, but very rarely. You can easily stop it by using simple painkillers. You may feel pressure or tightness on their skins after the operation, but it disappears in a very short time. Recovery from a mini facelift takes 7 to 10 days and a vertical facelift about 14 days. You can return to your normal life after this period.

Techniques of Facelift

There are different techniques for the operation. 5 of them are mostly-used: Traditional Full Facelift, Mid Facelift, Mini Facelift, Thread Facelift, and Stem Cell Facelift. Traditional Full Facelift, as its name itself, is a full facelift surgery, takes more time and eliminate the aging signs on chin, cheeks, below the eyes, around mouth and jowls.

A mini facelift, on the other hand, is a relatively minor procedure that minimizes or removes minor sagging around the cheeks, jawline, and neck.

In Thread Facelift, the surgeon uses little and thin stitches below the skin to lift the underlying muscles. This procedure is performed without surgery and under local anesthesia, the whole process usually takes only 30 to 45 minutes, and the patients are free to return to work just after it.

Lastly, Stem Cell Facelift is another non-surgical facial process that one of the mostly-preferred techniques in plastic surgery just like Botox in the past 30 years.

READ: What Is a Thread Lift? – Tread Lift Facts

How Long Does Facelift Last?

Although facelift is a successful operation for the rejuvenate, it cannot stop the aging. The face and neck will continue to sag, and new wrinkles will appear. Although there is no lifting technique can produce permanent results, facelift surgery will usually provide longer lasting results than a thread lift. The results of facelift surgery may last up to a decade; however, thread lift results will generally last from one to three years.

Do Facelifts Hurt?

The facelift does not hurt while it is performing because of the anesthesia. You will not feel any pain or soreness. If you get pain during your recovery period, you can eliminate it with a simple painkiller.

Is Facelift Safe?

Yes, because of the medical improvements in this area, the operations are getting safer each year. If you follow all of the pre-op instructions given by your doctor, you may have a more comfortable and safer recovery period. In the first days after surgery, there may be minimal/normal swelling and bruises that will pass completely within 1 week. You might experience temporary or permanent hair loss near the incision sites. Areas affected by temporary hair loss will begin to recover in about three months. As rare, you may also have unsatisfactory results after your facelift surgery which include asymmetry, visible surgical scar location and unacceptable visible deformities at the ends of the incisions. It may be necessary to perform additional surgery to improve results in such cases.

You may also consider laser skin resurfacing procedure if you have non-responsive skin after facelift surgery.

Is Facelift Worth It?

With the operation, you may gain your 10-years-ago look by getting rid of your dropping skin and face wrinkles. Therefore, most of the patients who have facelift surgery, become very happy and satisfied when they see their new face look. According to the results of long-term patient satisfaction survey study made with 89 facelift surgery patients, one year after surgery, 87 patients (97.8 percent) described the improvement of their facial appearance as very good or beyond expectations. After an average follow-up of 12.6 years, 61 patients (68.5 percent) rated their current degree of improvement as very good or beyond expectations, and 61 patients (68.5 percent) told that they felt 10 or more years younger. This means the facelift is really worth to have it.

How Much Does Facelift Cost?

As it is a very popular operation for years and there are many good clinics and experienced surgeons in Turkey to perform it successfully. You may choose one of the good ones and meet your younger-you again. The cost of facelift surgery in Turkey’s well-equipped and certified clinics is between € 2,000 and € 6,000 which is very affordable especially compared with the average facelift cost of € 10,000 in the USA or € 12,000 in the UK.

READ: Silhouette Face Lift – What Should You Know About It?

 

This content is edited by Flymedi Medical Editors in April 2019.

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