Before Facial Surgery



We will evaluate your medical history in order to determine your overall health. Our objective is to create a natural appearance that is pleasing to you. We will discuss with you how your face can look and what you can expect from surgery. Before and after photographs will reveal what the surgery has accomplished.

Preoperative Instructions : Avoid drugs that contain aspirin several weeks prior to surgery. You will be prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection. You may be instructed to shampoo your hair the night before surgery. Shaving of head is not required.

Face Lift Procedure



A rhytidectomy is frequently performed in conjunction with blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), forehead lift, chin augmentation, and / or liposuction, to create an overall rejuvenation of the face. The procedure can be repeated as gravity continues its effects after the first surgery.

Facial rejuvenation surgeries are performed in inpatient surgical centers. General anesthesia is generally not required but can be used if desired for long procedures to help you relax and get a better result.

The surgeon will make incisions inside the hairline at the temple, in front of the ear, then around the earlobe and behind the ear, ending at the scalp area. Excess skin is removed and sagging connective tissues and muscles are tightened. In some cases, fatty deposits are removed from beneath the chin and neck. Incisions are closed with small sutures.

The procedure may take up to 2 - 4 hours depending on whether any other procedures are performed at the same time.

Recovery from facelift surgery : What to expect



Initially you will have a large dressing around your head. You may have surgical drains coming out from your neck. These will be removed in approximately 24 hours. Stitches around the ears will be loosened or removed in a few days. The scalp stitches will be removed in 7 - 10 days.

To minimize scarring, the doctor may remove the stitches in stages. Scarring fades quickly. Swelling and discoloration ususally decrease within two weeks. Tightness in your face will be felt for several weeks.

We recommend that you avoid the sun for several weeks after surgery. Complications following facelift are rare. These include bleeding, facial nerve injury, infection, discoloration discoloration of the skin, asymmetry, numbness and scarring. Infection is rare due to the large blood supply to the face. As mentioned, the risk of bleeding is greater if you take aspirin or blood thinners within 2 weeks of the surgery. The risk of complications increases in diabetics, persons with a history of radiation, autoimmune and collagen disease as well as in smokers.

In the initial weeks following surgery, the facial skin and area around the ear may be numb. There may also be some temporary discoloration as healing begins, which may take a few months to disappear. Occasionally, the facial nerve is bruised during surgery, resulting in temporary loss of function. However, permanent damage to the facial nerve is rare.

The healing process is gradual, so you will not notice final results for few weeks. A single procedure often achieves the desired results. Most patients who have had facelifts are pleased with their new, youthful looks.

Is there some minimal procedure for the same result?



Modified face lift along with endoscopic surgery of the brows and minimal surgery in the chin / neck area can give a younger appearance which may not be as dramatic as a full face neck lift. The recovery time for such a procedure is just a week and is a day care procedure with the patient going back home in the evening.