Facelift Answers
Ageless Impressions Plastic Surgery Institute in Bethesda, Maryland has been specializing in facelift and facial plastic surgery for years. The expertise and dedication of Dr. Mark Richards and his professional staff have led to the satisfaction of many facial plastic surgery patients. In addition to exceptional results, we are dedicated to patient comfort and understanding. Please read about the face lift procedures below to better understand your facelift options. If you are seeking a face lift in Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland, Philadelphia, or surrounding areas, contact our office in Bethesda today.
Why a Facelift?
A facelift involves repositioning the multiple layers of the lower face to restore the facial shape and definition with a gentle tightening of the skin. Restoration of the neck is normally performed at the same time to provide a unified look to the lower face.
The face communicates emotion, expression, and personality. With time, however, facial skin and features begin to show the effects of gravity, stress, and sun exposure. Lines and wrinkles set in. Skin sags and loosens. Fatty deposits form around the eyes and jowls. A person's energy and creativity may be masked by a generally fatigued, unhappy look. A facelift is an excellent way to reverse the signs of aging, revealing a more natural, expressive you. A facelift is often performed in conjunction with a cheek lift to restore the natral facial curves of youth.
Ageless Impressions in Bethesda specializes in facial plastic surgery, yielding age-defying, and natural facelift results. Philadelphia, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland patients are urged to contact our Bethesda facial plastic surgery practice for a consultation.
Common Misconceptions About Facelift Surgery
The purpose of a facelift is not to improve skin texture or smooth out wrinkles. Simply stretching out the skin to rid it of lines looks unnatural and alters facial features by stretching and flattening them. Instead, a facelift is meant to tighten the underlying tissues in order to restore facial structures. Some trimming and tightening of the skin does occur in facelift, but the effect is intended to be subtle and natural looking. For improvement in skin texture, procedures such as dermabrasion, injectable fillers, or chemical peel can be combined with a facelift (or used in isolation).
In addition, a facelift is not meant to treat all areas of the face. The nose, for example, is altered with a different procedure called rhinoplasty. Similarly, the eyes and forehead are best served with procedures designed specifically for them. Dr. Richards evaluates your face as if it is divided in thirds (upper eyelids and above are the top third, lower lids and cheeks are the middle, and the corner of the mouth through the neck are the bottom). Facelift is mostly only beneficial for the bottom third. The middle section requires a cheek lift and the upper a brow lift or blepharoplasty for maximum rejuvenation. Prospective patients for a face lift in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Virginia and surrounding areas should contact our Bethesda facial plastic surgery expert, Dr. Richards, about combining some of these facial plastic surgery procedures.
There are also a number of fears about scarring, an "operated" look, and the risks involved with facelift surgery. While any surgical procedure entails risks, a facelift is generally considered to be a safe procedure. In terms of aesthetic complications, new techniques have made it easier to limit and hide scars and to produce natural-looking results.
Understanding Facial Rejuvenation
The term "facelift" is sometimes applied to several different surgical techniques. It is important that you clearly express your goals and ask any questions you may have before deciding to undergo facelift plastic surgery. Dr. Richards performs a face lift by operating on the deep structures of the face, alleviating tissue and lifting the muscles. Other surgeons may offer a type of facelift that focuses only on tightening the skin. Unfortunately, this latter version of facelift can distort facial features and its results tend to diminish quickly with time. At our Bethesda, Maryland facelift and facial plastic surgery facility, long term, natural results and patient comfort and satisfaction are our primary concerns.
Good Candidates for Facelift Surgery
Good candidates for facelift surgery are in good overall health but have begun to experience some drooping of facial fat, muscles, and skin. They may also have jowls or loose skin in the neck area. Deep folds in the face or a double chin may be factors as well.
Men and women may both be good candidates for a facelift, although the ideal placement of incisions may vary between the genders due to differences in skin thickness and hairline. Most people who opt for a facelift are between the ages of forty and seventy, but older patients can be good candidates as well. Consult with Mark E. Richards, M.D. at the Ageless Impressions Plastic Surgery Institute in Bethesda, Maryland to see if facelift surgery is right for you. He can also help patients decide if they have better facial plastic surgery and face lift options. Serving residents of Washington D.C., Chevy Chase, Philadelphia, Virginia, and the rest of the U.S.
Facelift Risks
Although facelift is generally considered to be a safe procedure, all surgery carries some inherent risks. Choosing an experienced facelift surgeon like Dr. Richards can help to lower your risk of complication.
Swelling and bruising are expected consequences of facial plastic surgery. Some residual swelling may persist for up to 12 months following facelift surgery. As bruising and swelling decrease, the improvements achieved by a facelift will become more obvious. Although numbness is normal while the face is swollen, permanent loss of sensation over any significant area is rare.
Many patients are concerned with scarring and wound healing. Most facelift patients' scars fade over time (although they do not disappear). By placing incisions within the hairline and natural curves of the ears, most scars can be hidden. Smoking interferes with proper healing and increases the likelihood of scarring.
Associated with all types of surgery are the possibility of infection, bleeding, and a reaction to the anesthesia. These risks are uncommon. Following Maryland surgeon, Dr. Richard's pre- and postoperative instructions will help to lower your risk of complication.
Facelift Surgery
Facelift surgery can take up to five hours, depending on the individual case. Incisions are usually placed along the hairline and around the curves of the ears. Another incision is made under the chin. The skin is then pulled back so that the deep layers of the sagging neck muscles can be tightened and repositioned. Fat may be removed as well. Before the incisions are closed, excess loose skin is trimmed away and the skin is draped in a natural, youthful position.
Recovering from Facelift Surgery
After facelift surgery, stitches will be left in place for up to two weeks. Small drainage tubes may be used for a few days to avoid fluid build-up. In addition, a special compression bandage is often used to protect the incisions and reduce swelling following surgery.
Most patients can return to work approximately two weeks after undergoing facelift surgery. The worst of the swelling and bruising should have subsided by this time, but improvement continues for up to 12 months following surgery.
If you are interested in face lift in Philadelphia, Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland, or surrounding areas, contact the Bethesda, Maryland facial plastic surgery professionals at Ageless Impressions Plastic Surgery Institute today!
Salvaging the Unsatisfactory Facelift
A person may be dissatisfied with a previous facelift for a number of reasons. This dissatisfaction can lead to extreme self-consciousness with the way that person looks, negating one of the main reasons facelifts are undertaken in the first place. Dr. Mark E. Richards can often help by revisiting the previous facelift and correcting the problems brought on by it.
Problems that Create a Need for Revision of Facelift Procedures
When a proper facelift is performed using the traditional technique, sagging features of the lower face are tightened upwards, not backwards, toward the ear. This tightening effect is coupled with the elimination of excess skin, which creates a more youthful aesthetic to the lower third of the face. Problems arise with facelift techniques that are not designed to address issues that arise in the mid-facial features, particularly the cheeks and eyelids. These features tend to droop due to aging. A traditional facelift – which attempts to pull these features, can actually cause a distorted appearance. With the natural aging process, the mid-facial features are pulled down by gravity, which can ultimately lead to mid-facial incongruity if they were not addressed at the same time as a facelift. In other words, mid-facial features will look much older than lower facial features. This result can even occur if the facelift was properly performed. A revision facial rejuvenation procedure may be necessary in order to reverse these effects.
Facelifts using older techniques can distort other features. For instance: the earlobe is stretched forward, resulting in a typically undesirable appearance that necessitates a secondary facelift to correct the problem. Another issue that can occur is the ignoring of the upper facial features, typically resulting in an older-looking upper eye region and forehead, contrasted with a youthful neck and jawline.
How Revision of Unsatisfactory Facelift is Accomplished
Patients who have had an unsatisfactory facelift may feel they are left with results that are even less attractive than if they'd had no surgery at all. The good news for these patients is, facelift and facial rejuvenation revision surgery is frequently possible – and Dr. Mark E. Richards is highly adept at this delicate procedure. Dr. Richards has lectured internationally on secondary facelift surgery, and understands the concerns of those patients who need it.
Identifying and correcting the fundamental issues that lead to a patient's dissatisfaction with his or her facial appearance in the first place is the key to revision facelift surgery. Dr. Richards will typically apply a vertical suspension technique that will restore natural curves to the face. The cheeks and brows will be pushed up to counter the flattening effects of horizontal pulling and the gravity that causes dissatisfaction with facial appearance. As a result, the aesthetics of the eyelids and brows are improved by creating gentle curves in those areas, reinforcing the youthful oval shape of the face. Dr. Richards also makes use of "hidden" incisions, such as in the inside of the mouth and in the scalp. This minimizes the chances of visible scarring.
Revision surgery on a previous facelift procedure can not only provide facial rejuvenation more suited to the patient's goals, it can also yield long-lasting. If you are dissatisfied with the results of a prior facelift surgery, please contact our facelift surgeon in the Virginia, Washington D.C., Bethesda, and Chevy Chase, Maryland area and schedule a consultation. Dr. Richards will be happy to meet with you and discuss the revision facelift procedure in detail. Also, more information can be found on our sister website, www.plastic-surgeon.us.
**If there is a procedure you would like to discuss that is not listed here or on our sister site, please contact Ageless Impressions Plastic Surgery Institute for more information.
Please contact our office in Bethesda, Maryland with questions for our facial plastic surgery specialist, Mark E. Richards, M.D. looks forward to hearing from you.
For immediate assistance, or to schedule a facelift surgery consultation, please call our office at (866) 645-4303.
Mark E. Richards, M.D.
11300 Rockville Pike Suite 912
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852
