Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
Candidates with other medical conditions should consult with their primary care physician before undergoing a face lift. Lung problems, heart disease, and certain other conditions can lead to a higher risk of complications. Persons who use medications that affect blood clotting (including female hormones, aspirin, and some non-aspirin pain relievers) should stop taking these medications prior to surgery to lower the risk that a hematoma will form. A hematoma is the most frequent complication of face-lifts. Most hematomas form within 48 hours of surgery. The typical sign is pain or swelling affecting one side of the face but not the other.
Another risk is nerve damage. Sometimes it can affect a person's ability to raise an eyebrow, or distort the smile, or result in limited sensation in the earlobe. Most of these nerve injuries, however, repair themselves within two to six months.
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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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