Media Appearances
Facelift Surgery
Source: "The Santa Clarita Magazine"
by D. David Saadat, M.D.
As time passes, one’s skin stretches and gravity pulls it down. This happens to everybody, and is one of the hallmarks of the aging process. These changes occur at different rates in different people, and are unavoidable. Sun exposure and smoking significantly contribute to this process. In addition, as we age, we lose some of our facial fat. This results in more wrinkling like a partially deflated balloon.
The best candidate for a facelift is a man or woman whose face and neck have begun to sag, but whose skin still has some elasticity and whose bone structure is strong and well-defined.
A facelift is performed by making incisions in the hair near the temple that continues in front of the ear, around the ear lobe, behind the ear into the hair. This placement prevents easy detection. The muscles and sagging tissue are tightened, excess tissue is removed, and the remaining skin is repositioned to create a more youthful look. If there is a double chin, submental lipectomy (removal of fat) may be performed. A small incision is usually made under the chin so that the fat may be removed by liposuction. If there is significant loss of facial fat, usually in the cheek area, some of the fat will be replaced.
Patients usually feel and look well quickly after a facelift. Swelling disappears after a few weeks and bruises are usually gone by two to three weeks, as are the stitches.
The goal of a facelift is to make you look better. For some people, this involves trying to reverse some of the changes that occur with aging. For others it may involve changing a fatty neck, adding an implant to enhance the underlying weak bone structure or correcting other problems that they have had since their youth. Your facelift, therefore, will be tailored for you from a set of operations, rather than one operation, and will concentrate on correcting those things which are particular to your face.
For more information on facelift surgery, contact our office for a consultation.
