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| Facial rejuvenation surgery provides excellent results and has considerable psychological impact. It provides a sense of "well-being" which is probably due to the fact that you at last feel comfortable with your appearance none the least since you feel like 'before' . |
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| In most cases one of a number of facelifting techniques will need to be combined with ancillary treatments such as lipostructure or laser skin resurfacing for example. Each case is treated on its merits. |
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| Endoscopic incisions are hidden in the hairline and have never caused problems in my practice. The endoscopic technique is used in almost all cases of facelifts which address the forehead or the temples. The new remodelling lifting procedures result in a rested and healthy aspect due to facial features retrieving their youthful morphology. |
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| The cervico-facial lifting (face and neck) is often combined with a
temporal lifting
to correct the eye sadness, and is even sometimes combined with a rejuvenating rhinoplasty. Lips may also be refreshed at the same time. |
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| • a one- or two-day stay in hospital |
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| • dressings during the first night |
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| • shampoo the morning after |
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| • discomfort during the first night, usually around the ears |
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| • impression of tugging especially around the neck, for a few days |
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| • the actual pain is generally due to a small haematoma |
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| • the swelling which is normal after any surgery is worst at about five days , and then progressively subsides within a few weeks |
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| • haematomas and bruises are collections of small quantities of blood at the site of surgery . |
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| Haematomas, bruises and ecchymosis are composed of small quantities of blood in the operated area. They tend to vary according to the intricacy of the operation and according to the skin type and thickness. Indeed eyes lids will rarely escape bruising. Rarely will the surgeon need to drain a haematoma in the hours following the operation. |
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| The importance of pre operative pictures |
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| They highlight all the details of a face and show that all faces are asymmetric. The face is subject to a close examination before surgery in order to determine the technique that is the most suited to each case. No two faces are alike. Each requires a specific surgery. There is no standard surgery. The surgery is not "ready-made" but is tailored to the individual patient. |
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| Before surgery |
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| Of course, it is better when the skin is in good health. That is why it might be useful to follow the recommendations of a beauty specialist. (Furthermore, professional beauty care is highly recommended for post-operative care). Concerning the preparation to laser, a specific treatment will be prescribed. |
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| The hair must be washed shortly before surgery, using usual shampoo or antiseptic. No area requires to be shaved neither before, nor during surgery. |
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| A homeopathic treatment will be prescribed in order to avoid or minimize bruises and oedema as much as possible. |
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| Part of the treatment aims at accompanying the patient through the post-operative when the patient may feel a little low towards a full recovery. |
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| Aenesthetic |
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| The surgery can be performed either under deep sedation, which sets the patient in a complete state of sleep, combined with light anaesthesia, or under general anaesthesia, which is nowadays extremely safe. |
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| In both cases, a highly qualified anaesthetist will attend the surgery. Whatever the anaesthetic, the patient will feel no pain. Actually, most patients who opt for sedation with local anaesthesia have no recollection of the surgery. The most "difficult" time is the apprehension of surgery while the surgery and the convalescent phase are generally routine thanks to advances in anaesthetic technique. |
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| The procedure |
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| Because each face is unique, no two operations are alike. However, the basic techniques, which are common to all procedures, comprise the following steps: |
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| • The size of the incisions is reduced to the minimum so they are hardly noticeable one or two months after surgery. The incision is made in the scalp and runs down the temple and inside the ear. It continues into the fold of the skin behind the ear. |
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| • Firstly shapes will be restored using micro-fat grafts, consisting of a real facial remodelling, intending to restore youthful volume and curvature. Here the skin is tightened from the inside, assuring minimum interference with the outer skin and thus diminishing risks. |
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| • Mid-face reshaping may be also be achieved by a mid-face lift performed through a small incision in the upper-sulcus of the gingiva. |
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| • The skin is thus deeply reshaped and restored as will the face. In some instances additional neck liposuction may be advisable to reduce jowls and 'fatty neck' aspects. Each individual case will be thoroughly discussed during the patient's consultation which is mandatory prior to any surgical procedure. |
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| How long will the results last? |
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| Aesthetic facial surgery embellishes your facial appeal, and will take 10 years off the aging process. It will also slow down the aging process regrettably without stopping it! |
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| Indeed the skin's aspect will not be irreversibly changed, it will still blemish since the face-lift will have no 'ironing effect' upon it. A face-lift may be compared to the skilful tailoring of a large jacket. |
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| The simultaneous use of laser and/or chemical peeling may improve the epidermis' aspect. |
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| The aging process will continue following the surgical procedure, however the patient will look for forever younger than if/she had not undergone the surgery. Indeed should one of two twins have a face-lift, she or he will fore ever look 10 years younger than his/her sibling. |
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| One may think that a lifting is enough but it may also be prudent to consider further embellishing procedures such as a nose shortening combined with you lifting. The patient may also consider consulting an anti-aging specialist in order to further improve yours results. |
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| Every individual ages differently. Facts of life (menopause, family problems....) may affect one's aging process, and in those cases as second lifting might be envisaged or even another procedure altogether, which could complete the results of the previous surgical procedure |
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| Duration of the procedure |
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| It depends on the type of procedure to be performed. For instance, a combined lift of the cheeks and the neck will take two or three hours, while a correction of the eyelids will take around an hour and a half. |
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| Problems and complications |
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| Any surgery involves some degree of risk. However, in the case of aesthetic surgery problems are very unusual. Most of the time some bruising will occur after a facelift. A true haematoma has to be removed by the surgeon only in 0,5% of the cases. The chances of necrosis are few; however, there are increased chances in smokers. Smile asymmetry, which is due to nervous trauma, usually subsides within a few weeks. |
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| Stay in hospital |
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| The patient will enter hospital either on the day of the procedure at 6.30 a.m. with an empty stomach, or most of the time on the evening before. He or she will be allowed to leave hospital on the day after the procedure depending on its extent. If the patient enters hospital on the morning, he will be prescribed a light sedative on his arrival. |
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| After the patient has left the hospital, he or she can contact us anytime should he have any question. |
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| Post-operative care |
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| A turban style bandage will be applied over the head and the cheeks during the first night after surgery. |
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| During the first two days, the patient must avoid speaking too much, or turning the head. We recommend that he keeps his head up and "looks down" on others for a while. |
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| If the patient wants to read in the three days following surgery, he should not hold the book in his hands and rather lay it on a table or on a chair placed in front of him, and place the elbows on the knees. The chin must be kept up so that the angle between the face and the chin remains open to ensure proper healing. |
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| To watch television, the elbows are placed on the knees or the head is rested against a wall or the back of an armchair (this is recommended only during the first three days). |
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| A dressing will be applied on the eyelids for a few hours to minimize possible swelling or bruising. Afterwards, this dressing will be replaced by frozen compresses. |
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| Removing stitches |
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| Eight or ten days after surgery, the surgeon or his assistant will remove the stitches. This will only take a few minutes since most of the sutures that are now used dissolve on their own. |
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| How long will the results last? |
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| Aesthetic surgery of the face, neck and eyelids rejuvenates and slows down the aging process without stopping it. |
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| The skin, which has been tightened, has not changed. Fine wrinkles will persist since the facelift does not "iron" the skin. It can be compared to retailoring a garment that would have become too large... |
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| Laser is a major step forward since it now allows us to rejuvenate superficial planes and it can be combined with certain types of facelift. |
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| The aging process will not start again all of a sudden, but, it will occur as it always has. Patients appear considerably younger after a facelift and this rejuvenated appearance will last a long time. |
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| For instance, a patient with a twin sister or brother who has never had any facelift will always look younger than him or her even in fifteen or twenty years. |
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