Your Facelift Procedure - Your New Look
Dr. Reddy performs facelift surgery as an outpatient procedure at the West Palm Beach Plastic Surgery Center, Dr. Reddy's AAAASF nationally accredited operating center utilizing MD Anesthesiologists providing iv sedation or general anesthesia. Most West Palm Beach facelift procedures take about 2 to 3 hours to perform but surgery may last up to 6 hours if a facelift is combined with other cosmetic procedures.
After facelift surgery, you will have bandages around your face to minimize swelling and bruising. Most patients experience very little discomfort, which is easily managed with over-the-counter pain medicine although pain medication will be prescribed. The day after your surgery, you will have a follow-up appointment at the office to remove your bandages and check on your healing. A second recheck is generally 4 days later. This is followed a week later by an appointment to remove the stitches. As with any surgery, it is important to ease back into your routine as your body continues to heal.
West Palm Beach Facelift Revision
Dr. Kris Reddy FACS, West Palm Beach Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, is frequently asked to revise a facelift performed by another less experienced or expert surgeon. A revision facelift (sometimes called a secondary facelift) is performed to correct complications from a previous facelift, or problems that have developed due to aging and sun damage since the original procedure. The most common reasons people request a revision facelift include sagging neck, hollow eyes, flat cheeks, low eyebrows, and distorted earlobes.
Common Combinations with Facelift
There are a number of procedures that patients are finding increasingly popular in combination with a facelift either in the same procedure or as a 2nd stage.
1) Facelift with Fat Transfer. Fat grafting-transferring small amounts of the patient's own fat in strategic areas has become a common technique utilized by most surgeons today performing facial rejuvenation. In this technique, Dr. Reddy performs liposuction to obtain fat cells from another part of the body-such as the abdomen or thighs-and carefully injects them to provide additional volume in selected areas of the face. One of the main sites of fat injection is the cheek (malar) area, where fat grafts are used to counteract age-related deflation to provide a fuller, more rounded appearance of the cheeks. The area below the lower eyelids and the nasolabial folds between the nose and the corners of the mouth were other common sites for fat grafting.
2. Facelift with Eyelids Surgery. Cosmetic eyelid surgery dramatically improves the appearance of tired, droopy eyes. This is accomplished by removing excess skin and pockets of fat from the upper and lower eyelids.
3. Facelift with Laser. Facelift surgery serves to restore a youthful jawline and neck, while laser skin resurfacing rejuvenates the facial skin in its entirety. A facelift, while addressing skin quantity, does nothing for skin quality. A facelift makes a tighter face, but does little to address rhytids and nothing to address actinic damage.
The facelift is like rebuilding a vintage car. This is the bodywork. Full-face laser skin resurfacing is like painting the car. Both are important to achieve the best “restoration” or rejuvenation.
South Florida facelift patients including West Palm Beach facelift, Palm Beach facelift, Boca Raton facelift, Delray Beach facelift, Boynton Beach facelift, and Palm Beach Gardens facelift provide Dr. Kris Reddy excellent ratings and reviews for his facelift results and care for his natural looking face lift results and high standard of care.
Frequently Asked Questions: Facelift West Palm Beach
Question: Are all facelifts the same?
Answer: No, different lifts are performed depending on how much sagging there is, what needs to be treated, and the desired outcome.
Question: What is a full facelift?
Answer: A full facelift corrects sagging and loose skin on the face and neck, and creates noticeable improvement on the entire face.
Question: What is a mid facelift?
Answer: Honing in on more of the middle part of the face, a mid-facelift works to alleviate problems like saggy cheeks and deep folds around the mouth.
Question: What is a mini-facelift?
Answer: A mini lift gives some tightening to the cheeks and jaw, but without any muscle correction. Without muscle correction, the results are much shorter and the value is not as great with other techniques.
Question: How quickly can I start resuming my normal activities after surgery?
Answer: Everyone is different. However, typically, one week after surgery, patients are often comfortable to run errands and start shopping. Two weeks after surgery, patients are often comfortable having lunch with friends. Depending on the type of work, a patient has patients can start resuming light activities at work in 1 week and return to work with fewer restrictions after 2 weeks.
Question: Will I have scars?
Answer: The scars of a facelift are well hidden, and are usually only noticeable by the patient.
Question: How much time off should I take from work and exercising?
Answer: You should plan to take one to two weeks off of work, so swelling and bruising can resolve. Exercise should be avoided for about three weeks after surgery.
Question: Do patients ever need another facelift?
Answer: Your face will always look younger and more refreshed after surgery, but it will continue to age. After a complete facelift, some patients may want a revision surgery, usually ten or more years later.
Question: Do I need to see my own doctor before a facelift?
Answer: All patients require basic lab tests, and typically patients over the age of 45 require a written medical clearance from their personal physicians.
Question: What kind of anesthetic will be used?
Answer: For almost all cases, a deep sedation will be used, which means you will be completely asleep and pain-free during the entire case. No breathing tube will be needed in these cases. Some other patients, having shorter procedures, can have lighter sedation. However, everyone will be comfortable during the procedure.
Question: What do I need to do the day before surgery?
Answer: The day before a facelift, you should eat normally but avoid excessively heavy meals, or foods that can lead to acid reflux. Prepare your affairs so that you completely relax and rest after surgery. Most importantly, do not eat or drink anything after midnight before your procedure.
Question: How much pain will I have after surgery?
Answer: Facelifts do not generate excessive pain during recovery. You will mainly experience a sensation of tightness in your skin, which comes from swelling. Discomfort is well controlled with medications, which we will prescribe.
Question: What are the risks of surgery?
Answer: Adverse events are rare. One possible but uncommon risk is bleeding, which occurs under the skin. Usually this bleeding will stop using compression, and no surgical intervention will be required. Very rarely, a patient will need a blood clot removed and bleeding controlled during a very quick surgical procedure. In all cases, the bleeding is not life-threatening. Nerve damage is also reported after facelifts, and may involve sensory or motor nerves. In the former case, numbness of the face will be experienced for several months, but this will recover. If a motor nerve is stretched, there may be slight weakness of certain facial muscles.
Question: How do I prepare for a facelift?
Answer: The face is an important and sensitive part of the body, and everyone needs to prepare differently for their procedure. For this reason, Dr. Reddy will invite you in for a series of consultations in which he will go over the steps that you need to take before your surgery. In this consultation, you will discuss your personal health and desired results so you can choose the best procedural option for you, including whether he recommends any nonsurgical treatments before or after surgery to improve skin tone and texture and create longer-lasting results.
Question: Can I only have a necklift?
Answer: Yes, in some patients, Dr. Reddy can tighten the neck without a full facelift. This procedure, a “neck lift”, usually involves making just the incision below the chin, and tightening the underlying muscle layer in the middle. Liposuction of the neck may also be used.
Question: My eyes are also looking tired. What can I do for them?
Answer: A facelift does not improve the appearance of the eyes, but Dr. Reddy can easily combine a blepharoplasty with a facelift. This procedure involves removing excess tissue of the eyelids to create a younger and refreshed look.
Question: I also would like to improve the deep crease from my nose to the corner of my mouth. Will a facelift help this?
Answer: This crease is called the “nasolabial fold”, and it is usually not improved significantly by a facelift. The nasolabial fold is best treated by injections of fillers under it, or by performing a midface lift which elevates the soft tissue of the cheek.
Question: Are “before and after” pictures helpful?
They are. Dr. Reddy can utilize “before and after” photos to illustrate certain aspects of the surgery, and allow you an understanding of Dr. Reddy’s skill and approach. However, the best prediction for the outcome will be determined during your consultation, as Dr. Reddy examines your face carefully.
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