A facelift or facelift is a cosmetic procedure designed to tighten the facial skin on the cheeks, forehead or neck. It therefore falls within the scope of plastic and aesthetic surgery and is a very common cosmetic operation.
What is facelift
A facelift is a cosmetic procedure designed to tighten the facial skin on the cheeks, forehead or neck. Under a facelift, also known by the German term Gesichtsstraffung, experts understand a surgical procedure from the field of cosmetic surgery. In this procedure, as the name suggests, the facial skin is tightened by pulling it smooth and then suturing it so that a natural-looking appearance is created and no sutures are visible. In this way, wrinkles are said to disappear and a generally younger and fresher appearance is achieved. First reports of facelifts are known from the early 20th century. Nowadays, surgeons have various methods at their disposal to achieve the desired tightening of the facial skin. As with any surgery, this procedure carries risks that, in the worst case, can permanently affect the patient’s external appearance and health.
Function, effect and goals
A facelift is a surgical procedure that in most cases has no medical necessity. Accordingly, it takes place at the request of the patient, who is no longer satisfied with his appearance. Most often, these are middle-aged people who wish to have a younger appearance. The decreasing volume of the skin and tissues with age is compensated by “smoothing”. The operation is performed by plastic surgeons, but also by ENT specialists, ophthalmologists or facial surgeons. The principle of the facelift is to artificially tighten the skin and the underlying tissue. In most cases, it is not the epidermis that is tightened, but the subcutaneous tissue or the structures underneath it. This is to ensure that the effect after the procedure is particularly long-lasting. The affected skin and muscle parts of the respective region are tightened in different directions. The skin is then sutured in such a way that, if possible, the sutures are not visible and there is no tension on the facial skin. Excess skin is surgically removed. Different sutures are used for suturing. The surgeon can perform the facelift minimally invasive or with the help of centimeter-long incisions. The former option leaves significantly smaller scars – however, it is not possible to remove the excess skin in this way, so this type of procedure cannot always be performed (it is usually only used for forehead lifts). The most common facelifts involve the cheek, forehead or neck area. After the operation is performed, the healing period lasts up to eight weeks. During this time, there is usually swelling and discoloration of the face, so that the patient’s ability to socialize is significantly limited. How quickly and well healing actually occurs also depends on the patient himself and, not least, on the professionalism of the procedure performed.
Risks, side effects and dangers
Like any surgery, a facelift carries certain risks and side effects. Since the procedure is performed under general anesthesia, the patient’s general physical condition must be examined in advance to rule out complications from the anesthesia. If problems occur after the procedure, for example with wound healing, they are usually clearly visible, which can be an additional psychological burden for the person concerned. If the sutures do not heal completely, this can result in unsightly scarring, which can greatly impair the patient’s appearance. If, for example, the facial nerve is injured during the procedure, this results in restrictions in the mobility of the facial muscles. Distinctive facial expressions, as they were previously, are then no longer possible in the affected regions. This paralysis can last for months or even be permanent, depending on how severely the nerve was injured. There may also be numbness in certain areas of the face if other nerves in the face or head area have been damaged by the facelift. Medical professionals who perform facelifts are often specially trained to avoid these bothersome complications, which can be very uncomfortable for the patient.
