Facelift Dallas - Rhytidectomy Plano TX
Enhancing Your Appearance with the Face Lift
Aging is a normal part of life and wrinkles are unavoidable. However, if you look in the mirror and are bothered by the formation of wrinkles and the gathering of fat in your face, chin and jaw, the procedure known as the ‘Facelift’ may be a viable option for you. The Facelift, or rhytidectomy, has been developed to lessen the effects of age:
- Sagging, droopy skin around the eyes and cheeks
- Deep wrinkles below the eyes
- Deep wrinkles between the underside of the nose and the top lip of the mouth
- Asymmetry due to unwanted fatty deposits
- The appearance of droopy, fatty skin under the jaw
- Double chin, even if you are normal weight in other areas of your body
Video: Facelift in Dallas
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The facelift can restore your sagging facial muscles and loose skin to a younger looking state, however, the facelift procedure is often supplemented by other restorative procedures such eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, laser resurfacing, fillers, fat grafts and other non-surgical treatments to create a rejuvenated, youthful look to your face. If you approach the facelift surgery with realistic expectations, acknowledging that perhaps you can slow the aging process down, but that you can’t stop it, you may be a good candidate for facelift surgery.
Is it Right for Me?
As with any cosmetic enhancement surgery, you should first consider your motivations for surgery to be sure that you’re choosing surgery for yourself and not to fulfill someone else’s’ desires or expectations of you or your body. It is a very personal matter and any decision for surgery should come after careful consideration of all the facts and emotions involved.
The facelift procedure may be an option, if you:
- Are physically healthy and free from any life-threatening illness or disease
- Don’t smoke
- Have realistic expectations and motivations for surgery
What to Expect During Your Consultation
In order to create the best possible results from your facelift t is important that you and I consult to discuss your desires and expectations, as well as how the facelift surgery will impact your health, lifestyle and general well-being. You will fill out our demographic paperwork on your medical health, then my nurse will ask you about your medical history, then I’ll ask you the same questions over and over again. The intention is not to frustrate you and thre reason is not because we’ve forgotten. I actually do this purposefully in order to ask you your history on multiple occasions through different methods that aren’t expecting a certain answer because this will often bring up a memory that you forgot to say when you originally mentioned it. It is a good idea to prepare by considering the following before your consultation:
- General medical history, including the results of laboratory work and past surgeries
- A detailed account of current prescription medications, supplements (vitamins or others) that you take
- Any use of tobacco or other drugs
- What are your motivations for surgery? What are your expectations?
At the consultation, I will also:
- Evaluate your current health
- Evaluate the extent of corrective surgery needed to achieve the results desired
- Photographically document the facial area
- Based on the information gathered, your surgeon will discuss your surgical options and recommend a course of treatment
- Disclose the risk of common complications associated with facelift surgery and the use of anesthesia
- Cover what to do the day of surgery
- Cover post-operative care and recovery
Preparing for Surgery
In the weeks before surgery, I will request:
- Further laboratory testing or medical evaluations
- Adjusting current prescriptions
- That you avoid the consumption of alcohol, drugs and abstain from smoking for a certain period surrounding surgery
Finally, you and I will go over the options you may have regarding the geographic location of your surgery. Typically, facelift procedures are performed in an accredited surgical center, outpatient ambulatory surgical center or a hospital.
I’ll go over the options you may have regarding the location of your surgery. Typically, the breast reduction procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, which means that the surgery can be performed at Dallas Day Surgery Center of Texas (this is our facility at the DALLAS PLASTIC SURGERY INSTITUTE) or a hospital (I’m privileged at Presbyterian Dallas- Margot Perot Women’s Surgery Center, Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, Medical City Dallas, Baylor Regional Medical Center of Plano and The Medical Center of Plano).
You’ll Need Help
When performed as an outpatient procedure, you’ll need to arrange for transportation from the surgical facility or hospital to your home. In addition, it is recommended that you have the assistance for the first night and day after your surgery. If your facelift is performed on an outpatient basis, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you to and from surgery and to stay with you for at least the first night following surgery. We offer the Cloister stay for your convenience so you should consider it. The nurse will come in and give you your medicines at the scheduled time, she’ll teach you to care for your dressings when it is most confusing (that first night) and she’ll have immediate access to me. This is a nurse that we’re all very familiar with so we know there are no false alarms. Her phone call essentially has me on immediate access retainer so we think it’s a nice worthwhile investment to stay overnight. Ask about our Cloister pricing.
What Happens During Face Lift Surgery?
Anesthesia
I typically do my facelifts under general anesthesia. You’ll be most comfortable and we have a secure airway during the entire operation. I think this is the safest way of doing it since my MD anesthesiologist is in complete control. If you were under sedation, we need to make you very sedated and we don’t have control of the airway so I’d rather do the safest way possible. It is the way I would do surgery on any of my relatives, so that’s what I recommend for you.
There are several supplemental options that can accompany the facelift procedure:
- Addition of soft tissues to rejuvenate the structure of the face (fat grafting)
- Non-surgical techniques used to enhance the elasticity, texture and surface of the skin (laser resurfacing, chemical peels)
- Injections to fill deep wrinkles (fat graft, juvederms, radiesse, etcetera)
- Facial implants (for those that have a true bony deficiency)
The Incision
The length and positioning of the incisions depend on the extent of correction needed to yield the results desired. Three options are available to fit your needs and desires: complete facelift, limited incision facelift and a neck lift alone.
The complete facelift incision follows the hairline from the temples to the lower scalp, around the top of the ear, all very inconspicuous. The facial mask is then pulled vertically (against the direction that gravity dropped it), allowing for the underlying fatty tissues and muscles to be lifted.
The facial mask is then reapplied over the repositioned tissues and the excess skin is removed without any tension on the skin so the scars heal without widening. The quicker, simple facelift operations (lunchtime as they say) all lift in 30 minutes but they only tighten the skin. In the first few months they look great, over time, the skin loses the battle against gravity and the resulting scar is visible as seen with widened scars (like a stretch mark).
The limited facelift utilizes shorter, smaller incisions at the hairline of the temple, along the ear (but hidden within and behind it).
The neck lift procedure will remove loose and sagging skin and fatty deposits from the neck area. The incision extends from the lower part of the earlobe around and behind the ear.
Closing the Incisions
The beauty, so to speak, of the facelift is that scarring is minimal and incision lines are hidden under hairlines and within the natural contours of the face, nothing should be visible. If the procedure is done correctly, the results should be noticeable, but not obvious, creating a youthful look that is recognizable as your face. The results should not make your face look ‘plastic’ or stretched to the point that the natural contours and characteristics of your face are removed.
How can I distinguish a specialist from someone that just calls himself one?
Those celebrities that you see with stretched results are results of poorly planned operations. Dr Hamra has just recently written an entire text on this. I find it very interesting and agree with many of the concepts, here’s my summary to answer the above question.
The lifting is done in the wrong vector (direction) and the structures that are used as anchors (skin is the easiest, most convenient, but poorest and weakest choice) aren’t strong enough to keep a long lasting hold -so they stretch. If you use the skin to hold the lift, the scar is the weakest point so that will stretch and widen – a terrible result. If you use some of the deeper tissues (SMAS), they will stretch eventually as well but are a much sturdier mechanism to suspend and the skin is simply laid on top of that so that the scars don’t widen since there’s no tension depending on it. If the two are pulled with a little bit of tension on one and a little bit on the other, they’ll have differential tensions and a windswept look will come about, this is common for an inexperienced technician that read about the procedure but didn’t have proper training. Your surgeon must be a true specialist, but nowadays everybody is a ‘specialist’ so how do you decide?
Many surgeons are excellent, but it doesn’t matter how good the surgeon is, if the operation is flawed in concept. Some say technique doesn’t matter as much as the surgeon that applies it. Some surgeons are definitely so good that they can make anything work to the best that it can possibly go. It seems obvious to me though that no matter how good you are, a properly planned technique with the right anatomical concepts can support facial structures over the long term no matter who does it. Regardless, skill must be combined with training and the artistic eye for appreciation of shadows, lines and vectors.
A patient can not select their own technique because they are being told too many concepts that are varied, all of which ‘work’. The web, people magazine and the news may show all sorts of results that appear excellent with photographs and testimonials, but happiness in a patient, although critical, is disingenuous and can mislead to the wrong procedure (simple and quick) for the right reason (a happy patient). Ultimately, it lies in the trust that each patient has for their plastic surgery specialist.
My training, what makes me a specialist, is a one year Aesthetic Surgery fellowship in advanced cosmetic surgery techniques AFTER Duke plastic surgery residency.
* Doing plastic surgery residency is the gold standard of training for plastic surgeons. Be sure to confirm that your plastic surgeon has done that followed by board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons.
Important Facts About the Safety and Risks of Face Lift Surgery
As with any cosmetic enhancement surgery, you should first consider your motivations for surgery to be sure that you’re choosing surgery for yourself and not to fulfill someone else’s’ desires or expectations of you or your body. It is a very personal matter and any decision for surgery should come after careful consideration of all the facts and emotions involved.
Ultimately, the decision to undergo the face lift procedure is yours alone. After careful consideration of both the risks and benefits of surgery, you’ll have to weigh the risks against the potential benefits to make an informed decision that you can live with. Your health care professional will go over all potential risks of surgery and will make themselves available to answer any and all of your questions.
Here is a listing of some of the risks associated with face lift surgery:
- Adverse scarring
- Excessive bleeding (hematoma)
- Infection
- Complications associated with scar healing, including pain associated with surgery
- Leg swelling that won’t go away
- Skin loosening persists or recurrs
- Potential risks of anesthesia use
- Blood clots
- Facial nerve damage
- Numbness
- Asymmetry of facial features
- Potential necessity for revision surgery
When you go home
After any surgery, it is important to closely monitor how you feel, especially directly after surgery. Varying degrees of pain are certainly to be expected, however, if you experience any kind of tightness in your chest or shortness of breath, pains deep in your chest or an irregular heart beat you should go to the ER immediately. To avoid complications, it is of paramount importance that you strictly follow your doctor’s post-surgical instructions and be cautious!
My Recovery
Oftentimes a bandage is wrapped around the face to prevent infection, swelling and a drainage tube may be inserted to drain any excess blood or fluid that accumulates after the surgery. I stopped doing that very early in practice, the conventional “Q-tip head dressing” is fairly unnecessary and can even be dangerous if wrapped too tightly. I’ve come to find it less and less necessary to wrap people’s heads with these complex dressings. A drain is removed the morning after surgery and lymphatic massaging may be instructed after a few days after surgery.
Here are some important questions to ask before surgery:
- Where will I recover directly after surgery?
- Will I be prescribed any post-surgery medications? (a steroid for a week, pain pills that you usually don’t take since there’s little pain)
- How often do my bandages need to be changed and when will they be removed permanently? (like I said, no complex bandaging, just some ointment twice daily)
- When will the stitches be removed? (the visible facial ones at under a week)
- How soon will I need to return for a follow-up visit? (at one week)
The Results Will Be Long-Lasting
Although the initial results of the surgery may be obscured by swelling and discoloration, after 3 to 6 months, the scars will begin to smooth and swelling will go down.
As with anyone, sun protection should be a regular part of your lifestyle, post facelift surgery. A healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet and exercise will also extend the results of your facelift surgery, allowing the benefits of facelift surgery to unfold for many years to come. I also typically ask patients to stay away from too much liquid intake, I tell patients to only drink for thirst. Also, my patients are asked to stick to a low salt diet. If you go to the American Heart Association webpage, they have many suggestions to stick to a low salt diet. Many of the ingredients in our diet today are low fat and taste is added by including higher levels of salt, so keep a close eye on how much salt your are eating .. that will result in water retention. This diet is suggested for 3 months followed by resumption of your regular diet. Ultimately, the scars are evaluated at 3 months and it is decided then if you need any mini touch ups or scar revisions and the final art is seen and photographed at 6 and 12 months.
What are the Costs Associated with Face Lift Surgery?
Cost depends on many varying factors, including the experience of the surgeon with this procedure and the geographic location of the procedure. The result that you are looking for will not be related to the cost but to the outcome. This is an operation on an area that you simply can’t hide so be sure you are in the hands of a specialist. Oftentimes, higher cost is not indicative of higher quality; but, it can also be said that you get what you pay for. I try to keep our prices reasonable, not too low, nor too high. Come on in for a consultation and we’d be glad to quote you.
Costs you can expect to incur:
- Surgeon’s fee
- Facility fee
- Anesthesiologist
- Medications
- Laboratory tests
In addition, our practice offers patient financing options to consider, so please feel free to ask!
