Face Lift (Rhytidectomy)

What should you know about a face lift? What happens during the first consultation?

In the course of time the face shows the first signs of aging. Sunshine, environmental pollution and stress all leave marks on the facial skin. With the help of the face lift deep wrinkles can be smoothed out and flabby and sagging facial skin can be corrected. There are no two people alike in the world; it is especially true for our face so we can state there are no two identical face lift surgeries.

During the first consultation, our plastic surgeon examines you, after which you discuss the personalized possibilities, and then he explains the different surgery techniques and shows you where your scars will be located after the operation. At the consultation you have the chance to see the reference photo of the plastic surgeon.

Preparing for the face lift surgery

Before the face lift surgery you must go for a complete medical check-up. The reason for this is to find out whether you have any health problems that could have an influence on the face lift. All preliminary examinations are made at our Plastic Surgery Institute, so you do not need to queue up and wait in other health centers. In the course of the medical check-up laboratory tests and as occasion requires, other examinations (ECG, X-rays, etc.) are performed according to the surgeon’s suggestion.

In certain cases we advise our patients to change their lifestyle in the days preceding the face lift surgery. To facilitate proper recovery it is important that you do not smoke because nicotine slows down the process of regeneration and harmfully influences the healing of the wound. In the days before the face lift you should eat light foods, drink lots of fluids and take some vitamins (vitamin C, selenium, zinc). Two weeks before the face lift you should avoid the use of aspirin, ginko biloba and other naturopathic products.

Face lift

In the course of the face lift the aim is to tighten the facial skin and remove the superfluous epidermis. Different kinds of face lift surgeries and techniques exist, so your personal possibilities depend on your genetic givens, your age, and the types of the evolved wrinkles. Before the face lift the plastic surgeon plans the process of the operation and the necessary plastic surgery procedures. Between 35-55 years we advise the Minimal Access Cranial Suspension Lift (MACS Lift). Above 55 years full face lift and neck surgery is needed to form the natural and juvenile shape of the face and the neck. Depending on the technique of the face lift, the face surgery takes 2-3 hours.

Techniques of the face lift surgery

The technique of the operation means the choice and localization of the necessary incisions. In the course of a MACS Lift (mini face lift) the plastic surgeon makes incisions before the ears and on the temples, then he dissects the sagging and soft part of the face on the planned way, puts the mimic muscles back in their anatomical location and fixes them to the membrane of the cranial bone. In case of a full face lift the incisions are made on the temples, before and behind the ears, on the scalp sidelong and under the chin. In the course of a full face lift surgery the muscles of the middle part of the face are put back and fixed, the divided neck muscles are recombined. After the tightening of the middle muscles of the face and the neck the plastic surgeon removes the superfluous epidermis. If it is necessary the face lift can be combined with eyelid surgery and a wrinkle treatment.

Recovering and risks of a face lift

In our Plastic Surgery Institute we aim to make the period after the face lift as convenient as possible for you. After the face lift surgery you need to spend 36 hours in our Plastic Surgery Institute. To achieve the perfect result and look we work with self-absorbing stitches, this way the scars heal a lot more aesthetically and we save you the possible inconveniences of stitch removal. After the face lift you must wear a fixing bandage for 7 days, which is provided by our institute.

During the first 2 weeks of the recovery all demanding physical activities must be avoided then you can gradually return to your previous life-style. After 3 weeks you can start to do light exercises. Sunbathing, the use of solarium and sauna must be avoided for 2 months. After the face lift you have to attend control examinations on the 7th and 14th day, and the 6th and 12th week. The recovery time of the outer scars is 6 months, while the inner scars heal completely in 2 years. To facilitate the healing of the wound it is advisable to use scar creams.

Before the face lift surgery we aim to filter out the possible risk factors with preliminary examinations, but even so unpredictable complications may occur. Face lift surgeries count as routine plastic surgery procedures. The chance for the occurrence of complications is extremely slight, but it cannot be excluded. These complications can be the following: infection, oedema and serous oedema, formation of the keloid scar, temporary insensitivity.

Results of the face lift

Maybe you’ve stood several times in front of the mirror to check the quality of your facial skin and tried to remember those times when it was flexible and naturally tight. After the face lift you will experience with pleasure the younger look reflected in your mirror. You do not need to worry about scars because they will stay completely hidden. The face lift results in a long-term effect but the permanence of this procedure depends on the genetic givens and personal bodily conditions.

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