As people age, the skin can lose much of its elasticity and the fatty tissue beneath the skin can begin to shrink. The skin, because it can no longer follow the contours of the face as it once did, begins to come loose, or sag. A rhytidectomy, properly executed, removes the loose skin and tightens the sagging muscles.
This cosmetic surgery facelift operation is a tried and tested means of refreshing the face, improving the shape of the neck and removing a person’s heavy, tired and ageing appearance. Most patients for this type of surgery are in their forties, fifties or sixties but it is not unknown for more elderly patients to be successfully treated.
No other corrective procedure or anti-ageing medication has anything like the impact of a cosmetic surgery facelift. They also have the benefit of lasting for between seven and ten years, when it is possible to repeat the procedure.
Any surgery involves the patient making and understanding huge decisions – and cosmetic surgery is no different. Obviously there are considerable financial implications in any decision to go ahead with a cosmetic facelift. In the USA you could pay upwards of $9,000 for a full face and neck lift; in the United Kingdom, sums of £8,500 are not unheard of. Before you even contemplate making such an outlay, you need to reassure yourself that what you are doing is safe and worthwhile and being performed by specialists.
The facelift operation involves the extraction of excess skin, under general anesthetic, by a highly skilled surgeon. There are several procedures by which this is carried out but they all involve a few incisions being made along the hairline and around the ears. Sometimes an additional incision is needed underneath the chin. After the excess fat had been removed through these incisions, the underlying muscles are tightened and the skin adeptly pulled into its new position.
Usually, a head bandage will be applied in order to maintain a consistent, gentle pressure during the first 24 hours after the operation. The entire procedure will generally last between two to three hours but four hours is not uncommon and, in complex operations, even as long as six hours might be necessary.
A careful rehabilitation program will need to be followed for a few weeks, whilst the inevitable swelling and bruising heals. Some pain might be experienced but the normal range of painkillers is usually sufficient. Because this is an invasive surgical procedure, there are some risks associated with rhytidectomy – including infection, nerve damage, bleeding beneath the skin, nerve damage or hair loss surrounding the incisions – but these are not commonplace. The resulting scars can be relied upon to fade quite quickly to a natural skin color and texture.
Patients are normally recommended to have at least one week before returning to work, preferably two.
Most people undergoing cosmetic surgery facelifts are totally satisfied with the results obtained. This is especially true of those realistic people who appreciate that their body will take a little while to recover from the procedure. The effects of the procedure last so well that people continue to look younger for years to come.
Cosmetic Surgery Facelift
Formally known as a Rhytidectomy, cosmetic surgery facelifts involve a subtle repositioning of the skin on a person’s face. Combined with tightening of the face muscles and reshaping of fat under the skin, the aim is to obtain a more youthful appearance.
Cosmetic Surgery Facelift
