Facelift
Rhytidectomy

Introduction
As people age, the effects of gravity, exposure to the sun, smoking, and the stresses of daily life can be seen in their faces. Deep creases form between the nose and mouth; the jawline sags; folds and fat deposits appear around the neck.
A facelift (technically known as rhytidectomy) can’t stop this aging process. What it can do is “set back the clock”, improving the most visible signs of aging by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. A facelift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a forehead lift or eyelid surgery.

Who Are The Best Candidates For A Facelift?
A facelift is a procedure that help you, as a mature person, look younger and fresher, and it may enhance your self-confidence in the process.

What Are The Risks Involved?
Complications include hematoma (a collection of blood under the skin that must be removed by the surgeon), injury to the nerves that control facial muscles (usually temporary), and infection. Poor healing of the skin is most likely to affect smokers.

Before Your Surgery
If you smoke, it’s especially important to stop at least a week or two before and after surgery; smoking inhibits blood flow to the skin, and can interfere with the healing of your incision areas.

The Surgery
Most facelifts are performed in a hospital under general anesthesia. Incisions usually begin above the hairline at the temples, extent in a natural line in front of the ear and continue behind the earlobe to the lower scalp. The skin is dissected off the underlying structures, pulled backward and upward and excess is trimmed. The underlying SMAS, a layer that covers the inner facial structures, is tightened as well. Drains are inserted and wounds are closed.

After The surgery
There isn’t usually significant discomfort after surgery; if there is, it can de lessened with the pain medication prescribed by your surgeon. Most of your stitches will be removed after five days, and the stitches in your hairline could be left in for new more days.
At the beginning, your face may look and feel rather strange. Your features may be distorted from the swelling, your facial movements may be slightly stiff and you’ll probably be self-conscious about your scars. Some bruising may persist for two or three weeks. By the third week, you’ll look and feel much better. Most patients are back at work about ten days to two weeks after surgery. If you need it, special camouflage makeup can mask most bruising that remains.

The Conclusion
The effects of even one facelift are lasting; years later, you’ll continue to look better than if you’d never had a facelift at all.