What is a face lift?
A facelift – also called a rhytidectomy or facelift surgery – is a cosmetic procedure performed by doctors who specialize in plastic surgery. At Ohio University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, facelift surgery specialists tighten wrinkled or loose skin and muscles to help you achieve a more youthful appearance.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s board-certified plastic surgeons offer a full range of facelift options. These range from non-surgical skin rejuvenation to ‘mini-lifts’ to just the lower face and neck, or more extensive full facelift surgery. During full facelift surgery, doctors may remove excess fat or perform other procedures, such as a neck lift, forehead lift, or nose reshaping surgery.
Why facelift surgery is done
Aging, exhaustion, sun exposure and everyday life can cause deep wrinkles and folds on your face. Over time, these changes can affect how you feel about your appearance. During facelift surgery, our board-certified plastic surgeons smooth wrinkles and folds. This gives your facial features a more rested, refreshed and youthful appearance.
The best age to get a facelift varies, depending on health, personal goals and other factors. Facelift surgery is usually done when people are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s, when the skin is still somewhat elastic. Regardless of age, patients must not have other conditions that affect wound healing or increase the risk of complications.
A facelift may be right for you if your face has a “tired” appearance or changes such as:
- Loss of elasticity, firmness and fullness
- Loose skin on your cheeks or other parts of your face
- Extra folds of skin or fatty deposits near your mouth and jaw line (knees)
- Deep wrinkles from the sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth
- Loose skin, creases, folds and fat on your neck
Risks of face lift surgery
Facelift surgery carries certain risks, including those associated with any surgery. Examples include reaction to anesthesia or complications such as bleeding or infection. Complications are uncommon, and the risk is affected by a person’s medical condition, age, type of surgery, and other factors. Unhealthy lifestyle habits such as poor diet, inactivity and smoking increase the risk of complications.
Your doctors at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center will review and discuss your condition, health history, and risk factors. You will learn about the potential benefits, side effects and risks. Most complications are rare and treatable with proper care, including medical or surgical treatments if needed.
The risks of facelift surgery include:
- Hair loss near the incision line – temporary or permanent
- Hematoma – blood can collect under the skin within 24 hours of surgery, requiring immediate surgical treatment to protect the skin
- Contamination
- Nerve injury
- Numbness
- The results are not as expected
- Scars – permanent, but usually minimal and hidden
- Sloughing – a rare complication of interrupted blood flow to tissues, treated with wound care, medical treatment or surgery
Conditions or lifestyle habits that indicate you are not a good candidate for facelift surgery include:
- Heart and circulatory problems
- High blood pressure
- Poor diabetes management
- Recurrent weight loss or gain
- Drug abuse
Face lift surgery – what to expect
When you have a facelift at Ohio Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, you are cared for by nationally recognized leaders in surgery and medicine. Doctors use the most innovative and safe plastic surgery procedures. Whatever type of facelift you are having, your care team will guide you through the process. Your surgeon is with you every step of the way — before, during and after the procedure.
How to prepare for your facelift
During your first visit at one of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s convenient locations in Columbus or nearby outpatient clinics, our surgeons meet with you and answer all of your questions. Be prepared to talk about past or current health conditions, lifestyle habits, and your personal goals, including “before and after” expectations.
Your first visit may include:
- Review of health history and medical records
- Discuss health and records, including past plastic surgery
- Questions about lifestyle habits, such as diet and current or past smoking
- Consultation about treatment options, goals and expectations
- Review of your prescription and over-the-counter medications and supplements
- Physical examination
- Tests, such as urine and blood samples
- Information on what to expect, from facelift preparation to facelift recovery
- Referral to specialists if indicated
Facial examination and photographs
Your surgeon will take a number of pictures from different angles, including several close-ups. The doctor carefully examines the condition of your skin, the shape of your face, your bone structure, and other things, such as the location and distribution of fat on your face and neck.
During your treatment
Facelift treatments vary by procedure. Your plastic surgeon will discuss facelift surgery during early office visits. Some procedures, such as skin resurfacing or mini facelifts, are minor same-day outpatient procedures. A mini facelift may require general anesthesia or local anesthesia, which numbs only your cheeks, chin, and neck.
Doctors perform full facelifts under general anesthesia at one of Wexner Ohio Medical Center’s Columbus locations or nearby outpatient clinics. The facelift procedure can take two to three hours. Once you are taken to an operating room, an anesthetist will give you oxygen and general anesthesia through a mask over your face. You will quickly fall asleep and feel nothing during the facelift procedure.
Depending on the procedure, your plastic surgeon may make an incision above your hairline at the temples. It may start at the front of your ear or at the back of your earlobe. The surgeon lifts and separates the skin, tightens the muscles and removes excess skin. Doctors then smooth out the remaining skin.
If your facelift involves a neck lift, surgeons make an incision, usually under your chin. Doctors remove excess skin and fat and tighten the neck skin by pulling it up and back. Your surgeon may use surgical glue or sutures (thread-like fibers) that dissolve or sutures that are removed at a later office visit.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center plastic surgeons ensure that facelift incisions are minimal so that scarring is as limited and unobtrusive as possible — often nearly invisible as it blends into the hairline.
Doctors apply bandages or bandages to support your face and protect the wounds as you heal. They may leave a thin drainage tube to help drain excess fluids as you heal. The drain tube is painless and will be removed during a routine office visit.
Face lift recovery
After facelift surgery, you can expect some bruising and swelling. Doctors prescribe medication for any pain or discomfort you have. Your care team will discuss appropriate care to ensure safe wound healing during facelift recovery.
For a few days, you will need face bandages and you will need to keep your head up. You can rest in an upright position during the day. At night, you should support your head with pillows so that your head remains slightly higher than your chest.
Most people return to their normal daily activities in about 10 days. You should avoid strenuous activities for at least two weeks after treatment. Within a few weeks, you should start to see the positive results of your facelift.
How long does a facelift last?
Before surgery, doctors will discuss your condition and how long you can expect your facelift to last. Some people need additional procedures to achieve their desired look.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s board-certified, expert plastic surgeons ensure that your facelift is performed safely and carefully, which contributes to healthy, long-lasting results. In addition to facelifts and rejuvenation, we provide personalized skin care, guided by our esthetician (skin care specialist), to enhance and extend your results.
Stress, genetics, lifestyle and other factors will also affect your results. Over time, natural aging will continue to contribute to facial volume loss and post-lift sagging or wrinkles. To maintain and extend your new look, it’s important to take good care of your skin and health. Your care team will discuss appropriate care during and after facelift recovery.
Why Choose Ohio State for Facelift Surgery?
At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, our experienced, board-certified plastic surgeons focus exclusively on plastic surgery procedures and nothing else. Benefit from Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s commitment to providing high-quality care that includes:
- Plastic surgeons who are recognized leaders in this field with advanced expertise in a wide range of innovative facelift techniques, from full face rejuvenation to skin rejuvenation for specific areas of the face
- Work with advanced skin care experts, including an esthetician, to help you achieve and maintain the best possible results
- Access care from a leading national healthcare center with a solid reputation for academic research and medical leadership
- Access to the newest, safest, science-backed advances in cosmetic surgery
