Revision facelift in Turkey

A revision facelift is a second operation on a face that has already been lifted, either because the result has relaxed with time or because something about the first result was wrong. It is a different operation from a first facelift, not a repeat of one.

The difference is the tissue. Scar from the previous surgery sits between the layers a surgeon needs to work in, the blood supply to the skin has already been altered once, and the natural planes are no longer where the anatomy says they should be. That makes a revision slower, less predictable and more dependent on the individual surgeon than almost any other facial operation.

A revision can reposition tissue that has descended, restore the direction of pull, release an earlobe, revise a scar and rebuild a hairline. Those are mechanical problems with mechanical answers.

What it does not fix is skin quality, lost volume or nerve injury. A face that looks drawn after a previous lift is usually short of volume rather than short of tightening, and pulling harder makes it worse. Numbness or weakness from a nerve injured during the first operation does not improve because a second operation is performed. A surgeon who separates these for you at consultation is doing the part that matters.

1. 1

   Getting the history and the record

   The surgeon needs to know what was done, through which incisions, in which plane and when. Bring the operative note, the consent form and any photographs, including from before the first operation. Without them, part of the planning is guesswork.
2. 2

   Assessment

   Skin quality, volume, the direction of the previous pull, the position of the hairline and earlobes, scar quality, and whether any nerve weakness is present. This takes longer than a first consultation and should.
3. 3

   Anaesthetic

   General anaesthetic in most cases, and often a longer operation than the first one for the same face.
4. 4

   Working through scar

   Old incisions are usually reused where possible. Dissection through scarred planes is slower and the skin flap is raised more carefully because its blood supply was interrupted once already.
5. 5

   Repositioning and, often, adding volume

   The deeper layer is resuspended in the correct direction. Fat grafting is frequently part of a revision, because restoring volume does more for a drawn face than more tension.
6. 6

   Closing without tension

   Scar quality after a revision depends almost entirely on this. Skin closed under tension is what widened the first scar.

• Bring the paperwork. The operative note above all. If your first facelift was done abroad and you never received one, ask the original clinic for it before you book anything new.
• Insist on a consultation with the surgeon. A revision cannot be planned from a photograph sent to a coordinator, and a clinic that offers to do so is telling you how the rest will go.
• Ask specifically about their revision experience. Not facelifts in general. Revision is a different operation and not every good facelift surgeon does them.
• Plan a longer stay. Revisions swell more and are watched more closely. Agree the number of nights in writing and keep the return flight changeable.
• Ask who handles a further revision. It is an uncomfortable question and the answer tells you a great deal.

• Ask how many revisions they do a year. And to see revision cases, not primary facelift cases. They look different and behave differently.
• Ask them to explain your first result. A surgeon who can point at your photographs and say what direction the pull went and what plane was used has actually assessed you.
• Ask what they will not attempt. Nerve weakness, a hairline that cannot be rebuilt, and skin quality are all things a good surgeon declines to promise.
• Ask about volume, not just tightening. If nobody mentions volume in a revision consultation, the plan is to pull harder.
• Ask for results at a year. Revision results early on look better than they will. A surgeon who only shows early photographs is showing you swelling.