Face and neck lifts are surgical procedures that reposition facial fat, and tighten facial muscles, skin, and underlying natural tissue. It also removes excess sagging skin. Face and neck lifts are often combined with facial fat grafting to achieve optimal facial rejuvenation.
The incisions are usually concealed within the hairline and along the edge just in front of the ear, this edge extends below the ear and curves just behind it. Typically, scarring is cosmetically acceptable and difficult to detect.
What happens to our skin during the aging process?
As part of the aging process, our skin gradually loses its elasticity and our muscles tend to relax. The stresses of daily life, the effects of gravity, and sun exposure can be seen on our faces. The folds and smile lines deepen, the corners of the mouth droop, the jaw line droops, and the neck skin relaxes. Around the eyes, eyebrows fall, and the skin of the eyelids gathers in loose folds. The first symptom on the skin is fine wrinkles that develop around the lips, and outer corners of the eyes and mimic lines. The rate at which this happens varies from person to person and is probably determined by our genes. The aging of the facial skin may not reflect the aging rate of the rest of our body. Significant weight loss can produce changes in facial appearance similar to those of the aging process.
What happens during face and neck lift surgery?
The best results in facelift aesthetics are if your face and neck have started to sag, but your skin still has some elasticity and your bone structure is strong. A facelift involves raising and repositioning the skin and soft tissue of the face. A standard facelift helps tighten the lower half of the face, but changes to the procedure can also improve the upper face by lifting the outer angle of the eye and reducing the crow’s feet. Facelift and neck lift surgeries are performed under general anesthesia. The operation takes between two and five hours.
How is life after surgery?
After the operation, minimal pain and facial swelling can be expected. Cold compress is applied for the first 48 hours. The degree of swelling becomes socially acceptable after 1 week. Since the stitches are self-dissolving stitches, you do not need to have stitches removed. You can return to work after 1.5-2 weeks. You can drive a car 1-2 weeks after the operation and start physical activity gradually after 2-4 weeks.
You can always consult experienced plastic surgeon Dr. Umut Suadiye to learn more about your personalized aesthetic needs.
References:
Stanford Medicine, Face, and Neck Lift, https://med.stanford.edu/cosmeticsurgery/aestheticservices/face/face-and-neck-lift.html. Last Accessed: May 2023.
British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Face, and Neck Lift, https://baaps.org.uk/patients/procedures/12/facelift_and_necklift. Last Accessed: May 2023.
