With age, facial muscles become slacker and the skin loses its elasticity, creating folds and lines. Unfortunately, this can have the effect of making you look older than you really are. A facelift, also known as rhytidectomy, is an operation to lift up the facial skin and underlying muscles, so that your face has a tighter and smoother appearance. It can provide you with a much more youthful appearance.
There are several different techniques used to perform a facelift. In a full facelift your surgeon will make a surgical cut right around your hairline, past the front of your ear and sometimes under your chin. Your skin is then carefully separated from the underlying muscles of your face, removing excess skin and fat and tightening the muscles.
Facelifts are sometimes performed on the brow area, lower face, or neck only. The cuts needed for these operations are less extensive than for a full facelift. Sometimes your plastic surgeon will perform a facelift using small endoscopes ('keyhole surgery') that are inserted through tiny cuts. Another type of facelift surgery is minimal access cranial suspension otherwise known as a MACS facelift. Endoscopic and MACS facelifts have the advantages of smaller scars and usually a shorter recovery time.
A facelift is performed under a general anaesthetic and you will usually need to stay in hospital for one or two nights. You'll also need to plan time off work to rest and recover.
There is always some scarring after a facelift, but this will generally fade over the course of a year, and can often be well-disguised underneath your hair. Your plastic surgeon will discuss this with you prior to your facelift operation.
All operations carry risks as well as benefits. The chance of complications following facelift surgery depends on the type of procedure and other factors such as your general health. Your plastic surgeon will explain how the risks apply to you.
Next steps
For more information on facelift surgery, to arrange your initial consultation with a cosmetic surgeon, or to book a free cosmetic nurse appointment, call our cosmetic surgery team on 0800 434 6644 or enquire online.
