The blog you are reading is one of the most comprehensive resources on the internet written on facial aesthetics. Within the face and neck segment, you can find many articles with detailed information about different facelift techniques.

The aim of this article is to give an introductory basic information about facelift.

In this way, you can more easily follow both technique-specific articles and articles about my philosophy of facial rejuvenation.

Let's get started.

What Is a Face Lift? What Is Not?

Facelift is an aesthetic surgery that aims to remove the signs of aging. In facelift surgery, the soft tissues of the face are tightened using surgical techniques and moved to a position closer to the person's youthful years. The term facelift is often used alternately and synonymously with the terms facelift (English) and rhytidectomy (Latin).

In facelift surgery, the excess skin on the face is always removed without exception. It is incorrect to call surgeries in which excess skin is not removed as "facelift".

Although it does not fit this definition, there are many procedures called "facelift". Midface lift (midfacelift), endoscopic facelift, non-surgical facelift, liquid facelift, thread facelift...

These techniques can also lift the face in a certain area, at a certain rate and for a certain period of time. However, they have nothing to do with the original facelift surgery. These should not be considered as an alternative to facelift surgery, but as a complement to facelift surgery. I will not go deeper on this subject because I have other articles on the blog explaining the differences of these procedures from facelift surgery.

How Is a Face Lift Performed?

Facelift is an operation usually performed under general anaesthesia. Ideally, it should be performed by plastic surgery specialists under hospital conditions. Although there are many different technical variants of facelift surgery, there are some elements common to all techniques.

Facelift surgery begins with incisions around the ears. The skin and subcutaneous tissues are surgically freed and lifted from the floor of the face like a sheet of paper. Afterwards, these tissues are stretched and moved to a higher position and fixed here. After fixation, a surplus of skin that protrudes beyond the incision around the ear is exposed. This excess skin is cut off and discarded. In the last stage, the skin is sutured in accordance with the principles of aesthetic surgery.

What Are The Different Techniques Of Facelift Surgery?

Among the different techniques used for facelift surgery;

• Superficial techniques such as mini facelift, subcutaneous facelift, SMASectomy, SMAS plication, MACS lift,

• Deep techniques such as Composite Deep Plane, Composite HighSMAS, ExtendedSMAS, Low SMAS can be counted.

The doctor chooses the most appropriate technique according to the patient's needs, his own experience and training.

How Much Of The Face Does Facelift Surgery Affect?

A common misconception about facelift surgeries is that this surgery affects the entire face. However, facelift surgery directly affects only the cheek area. In facelift surgery, at least the cheek should be stretched and the jaw contour should be improved.

Facelift surgery indirectly affects the facial parts adjacent to the cheek (around the mouth, lower eyelid, midface, under the temple, neck, etc.). The facial parts adjacent to the cheek cannot be completely corrected in facelift surgery. If we aim for the ideal result in these areas, we should add special surgeries (nasolabial filling/excision, lower blepharoplasty, midface lift, temple lift, neck lift, etc.) to facelift surgery.

Facelift surgery does not affect other facial areas such as forehead, upper eyelid, nose, lips, chin tip in any way. Again, if we want a "harmonic" rejuvenation throughout the face, we should include the surgeries of these areas (forehead lift, rhinoplasty, lip filling, liplift, upper blepharoplasty, etc.) in the plan.

How Long Does Facelift Surgery Take?

The duration of facelift surgery can vary depending on many factors. Generally, the operation time varies between 2 and 4 hours. One of the most important factors determining the duration of the operation is the selected surgical technique. As the scope of the operation increases, the difficulty of surgical separation increases, and the surgeon's care increases, the operation time increases. The experience of the surgeon, the working efficiency of the anaesthesia team and hospital staff shortens the operation time. Facelift surgery is often combined with other surgeries such as blepharoplasty, fat injection, forehead lift, neck lift, mid-face lift. Each additional procedure included in the operation plan increases the operation time.

Who Are Suitable Candidates For Facelift Surgery?

The most suitable candidates for facelift surgery are healthy individuals between the ages of 45-65, when the signs of aging in and around the cheeks become evident. Facelift candidates should be psychologically strong and emotionally balanced. Because the postoperative recovery process is a test not only for the body but also for the mind.

Signs of aging such as loosening and sagging on the jaw line (jowling), prominence in the nasolabial and marionette lines between the cheek and mouth, the face turning from oval to square shape, gradual emptying and flattening of the under-eye area, advanced wrinkles on the skin surface, loss of elasticity due to decrease in the amount of collagen in the skin, sagging of the neck skin can be counted among the classical indications of facelift surgery.

Which Area Is Incision Made For Facelift Surgery?

In facelift surgeries, an incision is made around the ear. This incision follows the natural fold lines. As the scope of the surgery expands, the length of the incision increases. For example, the incision of a surgery planned to affect the upper face and temporal region will extend upwards. Similarly, the incision of a surgery planned to affect the neck area will extend behind the ear and into the hair on the neck. Apart from these incisions, additional surgeries such as neck lift, forehead lift, eyelid surgery performed together with facelift surgery may have additional incisions. Facelift surgery incision can be modified according to the person's ear structure.

Are There Any Scars After Facelift Surgery?

After facelift surgery, there will definitely be a scar. The quality of the scar depends on how the surgery is performed and the healing process. One of the most important factors determining the surgical scar is the amount of tension on the skin at the end of the surgery. Especially in deep plan surgeries, since the deep tissues carry the tension, the skin can be closed without tension and thus the scars heal very gently.

The final quality of the surgical scars is determined by the wound healing characteristics of the person as well as the surgical technique used. Unfortunately, some patients can heal faster and with less scars than others. After facelift surgery, it takes 1 year for the scars to fully mature. At the end of this period, we make an evaluation in terms of final scar quality and we can revise scars that are less than ideal.

Is Facelift Surgery Painful?

Like any surgical procedure, facelift surgery causes some pain. This pain is usually mild to moderate and responds well to pain medication. Unless there is a complication, we expect the pain to decrease and disappear within 48 hours. Postoperative pain is felt at different levels depending on the technique used and the pain threshold of the person.

 

 

What Is The Healing Process After Facelift Surgery?

We prefer to follow our patients in hospital for 1-2 days in the postoperative period. Mild pain, swelling and bruising are normal for the first few days after surgery. These symptoms decrease over time and usually disappear completely within 1-2 weeks. If facelift surgery is not combined with another procedure, it is possible to return to social life with an open hairstyle and camouflaging make-up in about 10-14 days.

Which Age Range Is Suitable For Facelift Surgery?

The most suitable age range for facelift surgery is between 45-60 years. If an individual looks much older than the average of other individuals of his/her age, the surgery can be performed at an earlier age. Similarly, in individuals who cannot find the appropriate time, financial resources or motivation in the ideal age range, it can be performed at an older age if health conditions permit.

Can Permanent Results Be Obtained After Facelift Surgery?

The results of facelift surgery are permanent. In my experience, even the simplest facelift surgery of the most inexperienced surgeon reduces the aging rate at the operation site. In this context, the surgery has a lifelong effect. However, the gains obtained after surgery decrease over time. The result of a patient in the 10th year after surgery will of course not look as good as the result in the 1st year. Because surgery does not stop the aging process. We can easily say that more comprehensive surgeries produce more permanent results.

Do The Facial Expressions Of People Who Undergo Facelift Durgery Retain Their Natural Appearance?

Yes. After 3-6 months after a well-performed facelift surgery, your new acquaintances should not understand that there is any surgery on your face. It is very difficult to explain the naturalness verbally. For the answer to this question, I recommend you to review the patient examples on my Instagram account. A natural appearance is one of the top priority goals in my practice. Those who know me know how obsessed I am about this. There are dozens of different details about how to maintain a natural appearance after facelift surgery. Unfortunately, not every facelift surgery is the same and each surgeon has different working principles. When choosing a surgeon, it is useful to see the patient samples of that surgeon and make sure that the transformation in these samples matches your wishes and naturalness expectation.

What Are The Risks Of Facelift Surgery?

Facelift surgery has some surgical, internal and anaesthesia-related risks. You should be informed about these risks in detail during the preoperative counselling process. Surgical risks include infection, bleeding, nerve damage, muscle damage, salivary gland damage, tissue circulation disorders. Although surgical risks cannot be eliminated, these risks can be minimised with the careful approach of an experienced surgeon. During the operation, medical complications not directly related to the surgery (stomach, heart, lung problems, etc.) or anaesthesia-related complications may occur. I have another blog article in which I explain the risks of surgery and possible complications in more detail. I recommend you to have a look at it.

What Is The Cost Of Facelift Surgery?

The cost of facelift surgery is influenced by many factors. These include the experience and expertise of the surgeon, the clinic or hospital where the surgery will be performed, the techniques to be used and the method of anaesthesia. In addition, factors such as the difficulty of the surgery, your expectations, the need for additional procedures, and postoperative care can also affect the cost. In general, facelift surgery is one of the most expensive cosmetic surgeries. A small number of plastic surgeons around the world who have dedicated their careers to this surgery may have surgery fees well above average.

Can Other Aesthetic Procedures Be Performed Together With Facelift Surgery?

Facelift surgery can often be combined with other aesthetic procedures. These include surgical applications such as eyelid aesthetics, forehead aesthetics, neck aesthetics. Non-surgical aesthetic applications such as filling applications, chemical peeling procedures or botox injections may also be included in the treatment plan.

In this blog you can find many "question specific" articles detailing the above questions. Unfortunately, it is not possible to fit everything about facelift in a single text. For more detailed information about facelift surgeries;

1. You can continue reading,

2. You can contact us and visit us for an examination.

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Stay Beautiful 

OB