a man prepares a woman holding a mirror for a face surgery

Understanding the Steps to a Successful Facelift

As we grow older, facial skin begins to lose volume and elasticity. Thankfully, there are multiple facelift options available that can remedy sagging skin and other effects of time. However, if you’re considering new facelift procedures for the first time, you may be unfamiliar with how the process works. For more information, here’s an overview of the six steps you’ll commonly follow throughout surgical facelifts.

Initial Consultation

Facelifts aren’t a one size fits all procedure. The facelift options appropriate for you depend largely on what you want to achieve with the surgery. For example, the procedure for removing the excess fat from your neck won’t necessarily be the same as the surgery for removing deep folds between your nose and mouth.

Determining which facelift options are right for you is the purpose of the consultation. The plastic surgeon you meet with will offer recommendations for the procedures they believe would best suit your circumstances. Additionally, they’ll also perform an evaluation to determine any factors that may influence the surgery. This includes any medical conditions, past surgeries, allergies, or other details.

Preparing for Surgery

Before your facelift surgery begins, anesthesia will be administered to ensure you’re comfortable throughout the entire procedure. Anesthetic treatment is designed to keep you from feeling pain, and there are several options available. General anesthesia is a common method that involves putting patients to sleep with a mixture of medications, commonly given as an inhalable gas. There’s also intravenous sedation, where the medication is injected directly into the bloodstream with a needle.

Incisions Are Made

Once the patient has received an anesthetic, the plastic surgeons will begin the facelift process by making incisions into the skin. The specific locations and length of their incisions will vary depending on whatever facelift options were chosen. For traditional facelifts, the cutting begins at the hairlines and ends at the lower scalp. Limited incisions, commonly used for patients with reduced skin relaxation, are shorter and start at the temples and proceed around the ear.

Procedure Is Performed

With the facial skin cut, the plastic surgeons will be able to reposition the patient’s underlying tissues to perform the lift. This typically involves removing or redistributing fat, tightening facial muscles, and making other changes. Surgeons will perform one or multiple of these changes, while some facelift options include all of them.

Incisions Are Closed

After the plastic surgeons finish the procedure, they will begin closing the incision with sutures. There’s more than one way to close a suture, meaning surgeons have multiple options at their disposal. While some stitches need to be removed after a few days, others can dissolve and disappear entirely with the passage of time. Surgeons may also seal the incisions with skin glue. The particular method your plastic surgeon chooses can vary based on the situation.

After the Facelift

Upon waking up from the facelift surgery, you’ll have to wait for several hours until you’re stable enough to leave. The plastic surgeon may prescribe medication and provide care instructions for you to follow after a friend or relative drives you home. When you arrive, ensure you have a comfortable place to sit down that has access to cell phones, entertainment, and other essentials. Your surgeon may also recommend ointments or ice to use during the recovery period.

If you’re searching for new facelift procedures, you’ve come to the right place. Gabay & Gottlieb Cosmetic Surgery offers a variety of surgical options, including microblading and tummy tucks in Philadelphia, PA. For more information on our cosmetic procedures and to schedule your appointment, give us a call today.