Good, that you look after your face and skin. But as you cross your 40s, you may find freckles and sagging lines near your brows, lower jawline, under eyes, and neck. While chemical peelings and skin injectables are antiaging approaches to enhance skin health and beauty, pollution, stress, and collagen loss are silent enemies that show skin folds on the face. Before opting for a facelift, consult a plastic surgeon and reveal your medical history. Here is how to do it.
Most people, particularly women in business and entertainment, turn to quick-fix solutions to restore their face firmness. A mirror may not be your best friend when you cross your youth. Facelift surgery is a cosmetic procedure young achievers and beauty-conscious souls are turning to. It is expensive and may deliver results. But there are several points to think about and check before going for a facelift. Let us get a more in-depth insight into facelift surgery.
An Overview
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A facelift is a cosmetic procedure to reduce skin sagging on the cheeks and jawline. In the surgery, the skin flap on the face gets pulled back and tissues transformed through surgery to make the face contour more youthful.
A neck lift is a part of the facelift with a similar aim to remove sagging skin on the neck. Remember, a facelift does not decrease wrinkles and creases; it lessens the skin folds. Let us familiarize you with facelift surgery steps.
Facelift Preparatory Phase
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Before opting for a facelift, consult a plastic surgeon and reveal your medical history. Here is how to do it.
- Medical examination: Share details of your past and current medical conditions, prior surgeries of any kind, including plastic surgery, post-surgery complications, alcohol consumption, and smoking history. Your cosmetic surgeon will do a physical examination of you and study your recent medical records, and may suggest a new test for precise diagnosis.
- Prescription history: Give medication details like medicine name and dosage of prescription drugs and OTC drugs, vitamins, and dietary supplements.
- Facial test: Your cosmetic surgeon will ask you to share your photos and close-up of certain facial spots to examine your skin quality, bone structure, and fatness quotient.
- Expectancies: Your surgeon will ask your expectations out of your facelift surgery. The surgeon will also help you understand facial surgery’s aim and make you aware of the realistic results.
What To Do Before A Facelift
Here are certain do’s before you go under a facelift scalpel.
- Follow New Medication: Your facelift surgeon will take you through revised instructions on what medications to stop and from when. You may have to stop blood-thinners two weeks before the facial surgery. Medicine change is on the cards during this phase.
- Wash your face and hair: On the day of the surgery, you will wash your hair and face with a germicidal soap.
- Skip dinner: You are to skip eating the night before your face-lift. Drink water and medications, as suggested by the surgeon.
- Arrange for help: If your facelift surgery is an OPD procedure, arrange your conveyance and patient attendant to drive you back home and look after you.
Facelift Process
A facelift procedure, like any other surgery, has a pre-and post-operative phase. Before the surgery, a cosmetic surgeon puts the patient on local anesthesia. During the process, the facial skin involves skin elevation and tightening of underlying skin tissues. The surgeon will remove fat deposits from the face and neck, followed by re-draping of facial skin. Wound stitching happens towards the end.
Face incisions go according to the patient’s needs and their facial history. It can be a traditional incision starting from the hairline to a neck-lift incision under your chin. Facelift surgery usually takes two to four hours. More cosmetic procedures can increase the allocated time. A facelift procedure is a delicate and complex task. Avoid any hasty decision so that facial surgery goes smooth.
What To Do After Facelift Surgery
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This is a phase where you may experience pain, swelling, numbness. Consult your attending doctor or surgeon if you experience severe pain in your face or neck within a day of surgery. You can take prescribed medication to minimize the pain and apply cool packs to your face to alleviate the swelling.
There will be many follow-up appointments with your cosmetic surgeon for two months after surgery. Avoid missing your next visit to the doctor, as it will help check your recovery.
Practise self-care at home for the first two weeks or as advised by the surgeon. Work out a list with your doctor on the shampoo and soap to use after the facelift surgery. Choose clothes that does not put pressure on the head while wearing and avoid makeup.
How Long Does It Last
A facelift is not a permanent feature. You may get a youthful appearance after the surgery, but the results wean away after ten years. Post-surgery care of your face and neck can help reduce the chances of a drooping face.
The Bottom Line
Looking beautiful is a human’s inborn need. While facelift surgery helps put back the sagging skin, take necessary precautions in diet and exercise to keep your face glow intact.