Facelift: what is it, when is it recommended, and how is it performed?

Are you worried about your wrinkles? So you probably know what a “Facelift” is.

Some questions might have already arisen: Is it a safe procedure? Is it worth it? What are the risks? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

That’s why we have prepared here some essential information about this surgical procedure that might support you in your decision to undergo plastic surgery or not.

Facelift, what is it? 

Facelift, also called rhytidectomy, is an aesthetic procedure that can reduce wrinkles on the face and neck.

It also reduces sagging skin and removes excess fat from the face, giving it a more youthful appearance. 

This rejuvenation procedure is more common in women over 45 years of age and must be performed by a plastic surgeon qualified for this procedure. 

In some cases, you can also choose to perform other surgeries, such as blepharoplasty to correct the eyelids, and rhinoplasty, to make changes to the nose. 

Facelift, when is it recommended?

To hide the signs of ageing people tend to perform a facelift. However, it does not slow down or stop the ageing process. 

When the person wants to “correct” their face, they perform a facelift for:

• Deep wrinkles and expression lines;
• Loose, sagging skin over eyes, cheeks or neck;
• Skinny face and accumulation of fat on the neck with sagging skin;
• Double chin and loose skin under the jaw;

Facelift, how is it performed?

The surgery is performed in the operating room by the surgeon, requiring general anaesthesia or sedation, taking medication to sleep deeply and reduce the sensation of pain.

Before completing the facelift, it’s necessary to make a general assessment of the state of health with a blood test and an electrocardiogram. 

The doctor generally recommends avoiding:

• Medicines such as AAS, Melhoral, Doril or Coristina;
• Cigarette at least one month before surgery;
• Facial creams use within two days of surgery.
• It is also essential to fast for at least 8 to 10 hours before surgery or as recommended by your doctor.
• During the procedure, it’s also necessary to follow some guidelines, such as holding the hair in several small strands to avoid contaminating the skin and facilitating the surgery. In addition, during the facelift, pricks are performed on the face to apply general anaesthesia and cuts are made to sew the muscles of the face and cut the excess skin. It’s done following the hair and ear lines, only visible if scar formation occurs.

As this is a procedure that requires care and attention, the facelift can take about 4 hours. The person may need to stay in the hospital or clinic for about three days.

How is the recovery?

The recovery from facial surgery is slow and causes some discomfort during the first week. For the postoperative period of surgery, it’s necessary to:

• Take medication to control pain, such as Dipyrone, every 8 hours. The pain will be more intense in the first two days;
• Sleep on your back, supporting your head with two pillows, leaving the head of the bed higher for about one week to avoid swelling;
• Keep the head and neck bandaged. Keep it for at least seven days and do not take it off to sleep or bath for the first three days;
• Perform lymphatic drainage after three days of surgery, on alternate days, about ten sessions;
• Avoid using cosmetics in the first week after surgery;
• Avoid touching the scars so as not to cause complications.

In some cases, the doctor recommends applying cold compresses to the face to reduce swelling for about two minutes for the first week.

Doctors also recommends to remove stitches after 15 days after surgery only, for safety reasons.

It’s essential not to exert any effort, colour your hair, or expose the sun for the first 30 days.

Doctors recommend to wear compression face masks to speed up the recovery process. Yoga Model is specialised in compression garments for over 40 years and offers a great variety of compression masks, essential to provide the best results.

Possible complications

A facelift usually causes bruises on the skin, swelling and minor bruises, which disappear during the first three weeks after surgery. However, other complications may arise, such as:

• Scar opening;
• Decreased skin sensitivity;
• Paralysis of the face;
• Asymmetries in the face;
• Infection.

In these cases, it may be necessary to touch up the skin to improve the result of the surgery. Get to know details about the risks of plastic surgery.

Does the surgery leave a scar?

Facial surgery always leaves scars, but they vary with the type of technique the doctor uses and, in most cases, they are barely visible because they are covered by hair and around the ears. 

The scar changes colour, being initially pink and later becoming similar to the skin colour, which can take about one year.

Are the surgery results for life?

The results of the surgery are only visible about one month after the surgery. However, in most cases, the surgery is not for life and, therefore, the results change over the years, as the facelift doesn’t stop the ageing process. It just diminishes the signs. In addition, the results of surgery may have interference from weight gain and prolonged exposure to the sun, for example.