When you start to notice loose facial skin, a sagging jawline, and deep lines and wrinkles, you might start thinking about a facelift. Also called a rhytidectomy, a facelift works on the skin and underlying tissues to rejuvenate, lift, and firm your face.
How Does a Facelift Work?
Your surgeon will use incisions hidden around the ears or in the hairline to make sure you have no noticeable scars after your facelift. They will lift fat and muscle layers under the skin that can sag with age, restoring fullness and a more youthful look. They will also lift and tighten the skin, removing any excess loose skin and smoothing away lines and wrinkles in the process.
What Results Can a Facelift Give You?
You will see some results of your facelift right away, but others will develop over the following months as residual swelling fades away. An experienced surgeon can help you achieve results such as:
Tighter Skin
Your surgeon can lift the remaining skin to make it firmer and tighter by removing excess skin. As a result, your face looks smoother and more sculpted.
Reduced Lines and Wrinkles
Lifting the skin also lifts away lines and wrinkles, leaving you with smooth skin. A facelift even diminishes lower face wrinkles like the nasolabial folds between the nose and mouth.
Contoured Features
Your jawline and cheekbones will look more contoured. A facelift will remove the jowls of loose skin in the jaw area. It will also restore volume to the cheeks by repositioning facial tissue that has sagged along with the skin.
Lifted Neckline
A facelift can tighten the skin under the chin and around the neck to produce a more slender neck with a more contoured chin and jaw.
How to Choose Your Surgeon
You will want to seek a board-certified surgeon specializing in facial procedures. In addition to researching the surgeon’s qualifications, make sure to check out their website. Testimonials and Before and After Pictures can let you get a realistic sense of what your results might look like.
Can You Have Other Procedures With a Facelift?
Having more than one procedure at the same time can save money and recovery time. Many people choose to have other procedures along with a facelift for full-face rejuvenation. Since a facelift does most of its work on the lower face, you might consider having blepharoplasty (an upper or lower eyelid lift) or a brow lift to restore the upper facial area. People with significant amounts of loose skin around the neck might also consider a neck lift.
How Long Will a Facelift Last?
Your facelift results should last a lifetime, although they will change as your facial features change with age. Most people remain happy with their results even after many years. This makes a facelift an excellent choice for people with loose, sagging facial skin who want a long-term solution.
