Deep plane facelift and necklift

Are you a good candidate?

• Facelifts are usually not a good option for patients with uncontrolled arterial hypertension, bleeding disorders or blood thinners or any other chronic untreated longstanding condition.

• Active smokers (up until a month before and after the surgery) have significantly more short-term side effects.

With that out of the way, patients usually fall within one of the three types candidates. Note that the earlier a facelift is performed, the more it lasts.

In all type I and most type II, the scar stops behind the ear depending on neck skin laxity. These patients could also benefit from adjunct procedures such as blepharoplasty, temporal brow lift, lip lift and fat grafting, depending on the case.

The minority of type II and all type III candidates will have an additional horizontal incision below the chin (to treat the central neck), and an extension of the facelift incision in the posterior hairline and hair.

The association of fat grafting, lip lift, blepharoplasty and temporal brow lift will give a comprehensive global approach to reverse the aging process.

A deep plane facelift repositions what has descended, which is not just skin. In fact, the deeper plane, that contains fat and mimetic muscles in a condensed resistant layer called SMAS, also needs to be repositioned. The ligaments that hold the skin and SMAS are also released so there are no obstacles to the superior-lateral movement of the skin and SMAS.

• Under local anesthesia with sedation, or under general anesthesia (depending on patient characteristics)

• Lasts 3 to 4h (depending on adjunct procedures)

• 10 day recovery period (7 days with swelling/bruises)

• Pain usually mild and controlled with minimal pain medication

• No trace of surgery at 3 weeks

• Sensitivity of cheek can be diminished for 6 months up to 1 year

• 1st Follow-up: 24h (showers possible after that)

• 2nd Follow-up: 6 days (for suture removal)

• 3rd Follow-up: 3 months