Your first discussion with a surgeon should set out what you expect from a face lift or rhytidectomy and how you would like to look afterwards.
Careful discussions regarding the reasons for wanting a facelift and your suitability for this type of surgery are very important at this stage. Make sure that you obtain as much information as is possible to help you to make a fully informed choice.
It may be that a facelift is not the most suitable procedure for you, or that you may need further cosmetic help in addition to the surgery in order to achieve the results that you desire.
A medical history should also be taken, to ensure that there are no reasons why you shouldn’t have this operation. You would normally be asked to read detailed information and sign a consent form at this time which means that you have understood the potential benefits and risks associated with a facelift.
Photographs may also be taken by the practitioner, as a “before and after” comparison at a later date.
The surgeon may also wish to write to your G.P. giving details of the operation, so that if there are any problems associated with surgery in the short or long-term, your doctor is aware of the procedure and can help you to recover.
Anaesthesia
Facelifts are usually performed under a general anaesthetic, although a local anaesthetic along with a sedative to make you drowsy can also be used, so that you remain awake but feel very little discomfort during the surgery.
Please take into account that a general anaesthetic carries more potential risks than a local one. This should be clearly explained to you by the surgeon before any decisions are made.
The operation
If you make a decision to go ahead with a facelift, the actual procedure may take place in an outpatient surgical clinic, or a hospital setting where you can recover overnight. The entire operation can take between 3 and 5 hours. For a facelift and a necklift, or if your surgery is going to take a long time, your surgeon may chose to perform the procedures in two separate sessions.
Although there are many variations to the facelift procedure, generally a cut is made in your hairline at about the site of your temple. It then goes right round and behind your ear and finally into the hairline where it is hidden. This “frees” the skin so that the surgeon can pull it tighter and up and backwards. Once the skin has been pulled into its new position, any excess fat is trimmed off by the surgeon.
In some instances, the deeper facial tissues may also need to be repositioned in order to restore a more youthful line to your face. If necessary, a small cut beneath the chin allows fat to be removed from the saggy areas under the chin with the use of liposuction. The wounds are closed with stitches and/or metal clips on the scalp. The surgeon then applies a dressing to protect the entire area where the cuts were made. Sometimes temporary drainage tubes are used to help reduce swelling.
Some types of facelift can be performed without leaving visible external scars. An example of this is the endoscopic surgery performed using a tiny fibreoptic camera inserted through half-inch cuts in your mouth and temple. The scars will not be visible afterwards. The camera is connected to a television which allows the surgery to be seen on a screen.
This technique is particularly useful for patients with sagging cheeks, deeper nasal furrows, (the grooves down the side of the nose), thinner lips and down-turned corners of the lips. If you want to have a rough guide to how your face might look after such surgery, you can put a finger on the corner of your lip and then lift the skin upwards and outwards.