As a result of natural aging of the skin, wrinkles increasingly form on the face and neck.The skin loses elasticity, the muscles become flabby and excess skin develops.This is quite natural, yet many people feel younger than their skin makes them appear.A facelift (synonym: face lift) usually leaves the eye and forehead area unaffected, so the facelift is usually either combined with a forehead lift and/or eyelid correction (blepharoplasty) or these follow later.
Indications (areas of application)
The extent of a facelift depends on the patient’s wishes. The following treatments are performed upon request:
- Forehead lift
- Minilifting (small cheek lift)
- Forehead cheek lift (upper facelift).
- Neck lift (neck lift)
- Neck muscle (platysma) plastic surgery
- Cheek neck lift (lower facelift).
- Forehead-cheek-neck lift (full facelift or face-neck lift).
Before surgery
Before surgery, an intensive medical history discussion should be conducted that includes the patient’s medical history and motivation for the procedure. The procedure, any side effects, and the consequences of the surgery should be discussed in detail. Note: The requirements of the explanation are stricter than usual, since courts in the field of aesthetic surgery demand a “relentless” explanation.
Furthermore, you should not take acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), sleeping pills or alcohol for a period of seven to ten days before the operation. Both acetylsalicylic acid and other painkillers delay blood clotting and can lead to unwanted bleeding.Smokers should severely limit their nicotine consumption as early as four weeks before the procedure so as not to jeopardize wound healing.
The surgical procedure
The facelift is usually performed under general anesthesia. Afterwards, you will stay in the clinic for about three to five days.
Shaving your hair is not necessary. The surgeon will make sure that the incisions are located in hairy areas or in natural skin folds, if possible, so that the scars are not visible later.The skin is then detached from the underlying tissues, i.e. muscles, fat and connective tissue.
The different tissues can now be corrected – depending on the type of facelift.Excess fat is suctioned out, muscles and connective tissue are brought back into shape with the help of wafer-thin threads.After the tissues have been corrected, the facial skin is reattached. The excess skin is removed along the incision lines. The skin is then reattached using tissue adhesive called fibrin.Then the edges of the wound are sutured.
After surgery
So-called drains are placed to allow blood and tissue fluids to drain.A bandage protects the head for the next three to five days.Your skin will feel tight at first, and bruising and swelling will occur.The face will feel numb. Within about two weeks, the face will have healed enough to allow for normal daily life. Two weeks after the procedure, the stitches are removed. The scars fade with time.After a few months, the final result is seen.
Benefits
A facelift turns back the clock a few years. You will look younger, fresher and more attractive.