Type of Surgery
Information

Last updated: 11/24/2009
Face-lift surgery is a cosmetic procedure that involves removing sagging skin and tightening muscle tissue of the face and neck to counter signs of aging. The procedure is also called facialplasty, rhytidoplasty, and cervicofacial rhytidectomy.
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Three dimensional animation is used to show what takes place during a standard face lift. Photos of patients before and after face lift surgery are provided.
For a face lift, an incision is made around the ear at the base of the hairline (A). The skin is removed from underlying tissues in a procedure called undermining (B and C). The skin is pulled up to tighten it (D). The skin is stitched into place and excess is removed (E). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
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Other Information
A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (literally, surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful appearance. It usually involves the removal of excess facial skin, with or without the tightening of underlying tissues, and the redraping of the skin on the patient's face and neck. The first facelift was performed in Berlin in 1901 by Eugene Hollander. According to the most recent 2007 statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, facelifts were the seventh most popular aesthetic surgery performed after liposuction, breast augmentation, blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), breast reduction, and rhinoplasty.
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