Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
In general, mortality and morbidity rates for forehead lifts and similar facial cosmetic procedures are very low. Almost all cases of mortality following facial cosmetic surgery involve patients who were treated for facial disfigurement because they had been severely burned or attacked by animals. Moreover, many plastic surgeons do not consider morbidity and mortality rates to be as significant as other factors in evaluating the success of facial cosmetic procedures. One group of researchers at the University of Washington maintains that "[t]he most important measures of outcome in facial cosmetic surgery are quality of life and patient satisfaction, in contrast to other, more objective measures such as complications or mortality rates."
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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.)
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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