Facelift (Rhytidectomy)
Aging is unavoidable, but a youthful look is a choice. Looking at our face in the mirror every morning reminds us of aging- sagging of the cheeks, deepening of the cheek folds, jowls or loss of a well-defined jaw line, and wrinkles.Everyday, many men and women choose to erase these signs of aging with a facelift.
Whether it is Los Angeles, Beverly hills or anywhere, patients always ask me if it is better to get a facelift at a younger age or at a later age. Good skin elasticity results in a better and a longer lasting facelift result. Therefore, it is generally better to consider a facelift surgery before you get too old. But remember, a facelift or a Rhytidectomy can only “set the clock back, but it can not stop it”.
What Facelift does....
Facelift rejuvenates the face by lifting the sagging cheeks to highlight the cheekbones, by tightening the face and neck muscles, by reestablishing the tight and smooth jaw line, by lessening the cheek folds, and by removing excess face and neck skin. Facelift techniques include making of fine incisions in the temporal hairline and by following it in front of the ear, and then behind it and into the lower scalp hair. Through this incision face muscles are tightened, cheek pads are elevated, and redundant skin is removed. The neck is also tightened by making a small incision under the chin crease where the neck muscles are tightened in order to remove neckbands and loose hanging skin. It is common to correct aging of the eyes and/ or the sagging of the eyebrows along with a facelift. In doing these procedures my emphasis is to have a patient look natural and not plastic or “over-done”.
I perform these procedures in my private surgical facility under general anesthesia or sedation depending on the patient’s health status. During this procedure an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist is constantly monitoring the patient and keeping them comfortable. After the facelift cosmetic surgery patients are monitored in our recovery facility and sent home with their family or friend when stable. At home it is good to sleep with your head elevated in order to lessen swelling. You should have someone at home to assist you for the first few days. Most people take about a week off from work, but most are able to get around well at home after the first one to two days of the facelift surgery. My staff and I will see you for follow-up in a few days to remove your bandages and to check things. After this you would be able to get all your incisions wet. Most people have some swelling that gradually resolves over the first few weeks. You might have some bruising in the neck or the face area that can be camouflaged by special makeup after a few days.
Avoid before & after Facelift
Smoking, chewing tobacco, or nicotine patches are detrimental to your surgical outcome. Nicotine causes severe constriction of the small blood vessels that keep the facial skin alive. Therefore, using nicotine during the week before and two weeks after surgery can potentially cause irreversible damage to your facial skin and you loose your face.
Rhytidectomy like many surgical procedures carries potential risks and complications. There is a risk of bleeding or forming blood collections (hematoma). This can be treated well when found early. There is a risk of weakening facial nerves but it is usually reversible. Some incision or areas of skin can potentially not heal. This risk is significantly increased by using tobacco before and after surgery. Although, these are most of the common potential risks of a facelift, you should thoroughly discuss this or any other surgical procedure of interest with your surgeon before proceeding with surgery.
In summary, facelift can truly rejuvenated the face and in doing so return to you a sense of youthfulness, confidence, and energy and all over lift your spirit.
Please note: to protect the identity and the privacy of my Los Angeles and other patients, we have not included before and after pictures. These pictures are available for your viewing at our office.
During your consultation Dr. Younai will review your treatment options for facelift, including pros and cons of each procedure, potential risks and complications, recovery course, pre and post operative instructions, and esthetic outcomes. There are also many before-and-after pictures and high resolution images of facelift available in our photo gallery.
Los Angeles facelift famous and board certified Dr. Younai has been receiving patients at the California Center for Plastic Surgery from the Northern as well as the Southern California region. Some of these cities include Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Pasadena, Glendale, Valencia, Palmdale, Fresno, and Oxnard.