A closer look at facelift surgery

Wednesday October 11, 2006 ins: Facial Cosmetic Surgery Tag(s):

Technorati Tags: facelift, facelift surgery, cosmetic surgery

Facelift or rhytidectomy is a surgical procedure that aims to give a more youthful appearance by removing excess facial skin and redraping the skin of the face and neck. In 2004, facelift surgery was among the five most popular procedures performed along with liposuction, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation and eyelid surgery. In 2005 however, abdominoplasty came into the scene and grabbed the fifth spot, taking rhytidectomy out of the top five.

The decline on the number of facelift procedures done last year might be attributed to the emergence of various alternatives to wrinkle removal such as Botox and injectable fillers, among others.

History of facelift

According to eMedicine, Hollander is credited with originally describing a surgical “lift” of the face in 1901, though others such as Miller, Kolle, and Lexer made variations and refinements of this original description.

Becker Center also reveals a little more about the procedure. A facelift mainly consisted of lifting the skin only, without performing any lifting of the deeper tissues. Sadly, the results don’t last long. It was only in 1976 that plastic surgeons recognized that the deeper tissues of the face could be repositioned to achieve a superior facelift result.

The procedure

In a traditional facelift, an incision is made in front of the ear extending up into the hairline. It goes around the bottom of the ear and behind it. The incision usually ends near the hairline on the back of the neck. Once the incision is made, the skin is separated from the deeper tissues with a scalpel or scissors over the cheeks, chin, and neck. The deeper tissues can now be tightened with stitches.

The skin is pulled upwards and backwards in order to prepare the excess skin for removal. After the excess skin is removed, the incisions are closed with sutures and staples.

Types of facelifts

Medic8 states that there are three basic types of facelifts, and many variations therein. There are as follows:

The Subcutaneous Facelift. This is also called ‘skin only’ facelift. In this type, the skin and the underlying fat are freed up, pulled tight, the excess removed, and the skin stitched back. This was the basis of the early facelifts and was popular until 1970’s.

The SACS lift. In this type of facelift, the level of dissection is just below the fat plane, deeper than the traditional facelift. It became popular primarily because it is quick and without the higher risks associated with subcutaneous facelift. The only downside is that the results are not as long lasting as that of other techniques.

The SMAS lift. This is the basis of the most famous facelifting techniques used by facial surgeons to date. The goal is to lift the SMAS layer (Superficial musculo-aponeurotic system). This is the layer deep to the skin and fat of the face. It also includes the muscle tensioning layer and the facial ‘fat pads’. Repositioning the fat pads restores the youthful triangular shape to the face and widens the cheek bones.

Limitations of facelift surgery

DocShop talks about the things that facelift surgery does not do. First and foremost, a facelift does not change skin texture. Second, every wrinkle cannot be erased. Very fine wrinkles, especially those that are located near the mouth, requires another cosmetic treatment or procedure. Lastly, the procedure does not stop the aging process. The results last long but they are not permanent.

Risks of facelift surgery

Like any other surgical procedure, facelift surgery carries a certain amount of risks and complications. Cosmeticsurgery.com enumerates the risks and complications associated with facelift surgery:

1.    Bleeding from cut tissues may lead to bruising
2.    Possible accumulations of blood under the skin resulting in topical discoloration
3.    Soreness
4.    Infection, though in modern techniques and methods, this is uncommon

Discovery Health adds more to that list:

5.    Adverse reactions to anesthesia
6.    Hematoma (blood has collected under the skin that may need to be removed by the facial surgeon)
7.    Injury to the facial nerves that control muscle movement
8.    Failure of a wound to heal

Candidates for facelift surgery

IEnhance believes that the best candidates for a facelift surgery are men and women who have good facial skin elasticity, in good physical health, psychologically stable, are non-smokers, and have realistic expectations.

On the other hand, Discovery Health warns that facelift surgery is riskier for people with certain medical conditions such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, blood cutting problems or the tendency to form obvious scars. Skin elasticity as well as the strength and definition of the bone structure are key elements that may be used to determine if the person is suited for the procedure or not.

Celebrities who have had a facelift

It is already given that celebrities are always the willing recipients of plastic surgery makeovers.

Sharon Stone. She looks all right. However, there are still areas of her face that could use some improvement.
Michelle Pfeiffer. She denied having one though her face shows otherwise.
Joslyn Wildenstein. This is one of the most tragic plastic surgery transformations ever. She looks hideous with this cat-like appearance.
Patrick Swayze. Not a good transformation either. Patrick used to look good but now he looks awful. It’s like looking at a totally different person.
Marie Osmund. Modern techniques have already dealt with this weird surprised look that Marie unfortunately possess.
Cheryl Ladd. The facelift worked wonders on her face. She looks great.

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