A Facelift Makes You Look Refreshed And Younger
If your face makes you look older than you feel, you may want to consider having a facelift. The skin on your face develops signs of aging due to sun exposure, smoking, weight fluctuations, and genetics. Skin treatments alone may not do much to help. If you have sagging skin and a lot of wrinkles that bother you because you think they make you look old, then having a facelift could be the solution. Here are a few things to know about getting this cosmetic procedure.
Outpatient Surgery
Unless you're having other surgical procedures done at the same time, you'll probably have your facelift done as an outpatient. General anesthesia isn't always necessary. Your doctor may use a local anesthetic combined with IV sedation. That means your recovery time will be quicker and you'll be able to go home the same day. However, you want to have someone drive you home and stay with you the first night until the effects of all the medications have worn off.
The Procedure
The surgeon doing your facelift makes incisions in your skin in areas where there are normal creases. That makes the scars nearly invisible after the incisions have healed. There is generally no need to shave your hair. Instead, the incision is usually in front of the hairline beginning at the temple and then going around the ear. When the skin is lifted, the doctor can tighten the underlying muscles and remove excess fat if needed. Then excess skin is removed, your skin is pulled tight, and the incision is closed.
Depending on the results you desire, a simple facelift may be all you need. However, you can also have other procedures done at the same time, such as an eyelid lift, forehead lift, cheek implants, chin implant, or a neck lift.
Recovery Period
It might take a few weeks for all the bruising and swelling to go away after you have a facelift. Therefore, if you want the procedure done for an important event, like your wedding, be sure to plan it several weeks in advance. However, after about a week, you should be healed enough to cover the incision area with makeup. Initially, your face will be bandaged, and there may even be a drain in place to collect fluids. You'll need to see your doctor for followup visits to have the incision monitored and to have the stitches removed.
Your doctor will show you how to care for your incision to prevent scarring. It's important you don't pick at scabs as they form. Instead, let them loosen gradually and fall off on their own. Your doctor may instruct you to sleep with your head elevated for a few days and you'll need to limit strenuous exercise and heavy lifting until your surgery has healed. Even though you may feel fine physically after a few days, you may need to take off work for one to two weeks to allow time for swelling and bruising to go down enough to feel comfortable in public.
A facelift freshens your appearance. It makes you look younger and less tired. However, a facelift doesn't stop the aging process. Your skin will continue to undergo changes related to aging, so you may need to repeat the procedure in several years. If you take good care of your skin and avoid excessive sun exposure, you can prolong the effects of your facelift for as long as possible.
To learn more, visit a website like http://www.myplasticsurgerygroup.com.
