A surgical technique used to help reduce wrinkles, sagging facial skin and droopy jowls.

• General statement: A facelift, also known as a rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure performed for the aging face. At the Trihealth Cosmetic Surgery and Rejuvenation Center, our surgeons perform a facelift with the intent of looking rejuvenated without the signs of an “operated” look.
• Why? As one ages the skin loosens and sags on the face leading to jowls and wrinkles. Additionally, there is loss of fat and decent of the facial fat pads which create an aged look. A facelift removes and lifts the excess skin and restructures the facial exoskeleton below the skin by repositioning a structure called the SMAS. Additionally, most patients requiring a facelift also require a procedure in the neck to compliment the face.
• Are you a candidate? If you have developed sagging skin on the face, loss of volume, or jowls then you are likely a candidate for a facelift. Patients of all ages present for facelift and often undergoing a facelift at a younger age allows for longer lasting results.
• The procedure and recovery: Incisions are made in front and behind the ear as well as into the hairline. If you are undergoing tightening of the neck then a small incision will be made under the chin. You may go home the same day or stay one night in the hospital. After 1 week you can apply makeup and after 2 weeks you will be able to go out in public without major signs of surgery. Often a facelift may combined with other procedures to resurface the skin, and to treat aging signs on the forehead and eyes.
• The results: Facelifts are one of the most powerful procedures for facial rejuvenation. Our expectation is to provide a rejuvenated look without the “pulled-face” appearance of some facelifts. Results will have a lifetime effect, but sagging can develop again years later in which some patients undergo a revision.