Face Lift Redlands
A face lift is a type of cosmetic surgery that tightens and lifts the facial tissues. A face lift in Riverside involves removing excess skin, smoothing out wrinkles and folds, and tightening the facial tissues to create a younger and brighter look.
As you age, signs of facial aging appear. These signs can also form as a result of overexposure to harsh UV rays, cosmetics, stress, medications, poor nutrition, and many other factors. There are many cosmetic treatments available that reduce the signs of aging. To ensure that you enjoy long-lasting results, consider a face lift.
What Can a Face Lift Do?
A face lift (technically known as rhytidectomy) can’t stop the aging process. What it can do is “set back the clock,” improving the most visible signs of aging by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. A face lift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a forehead lift, eyelid surgery, or nose reshaping.
Face lift surgery helps eliminate wrinkles and sagging skin that results from age, sun exposure and the use of facial gestures. Dr. Rau often couples this procedure with other facial surgeries to improve appearance, such as chin augmentation and/or eyelid surgery. Good candidates for rhytidectomy are in good health, have skin that retains some measure of elasticity, and are not planning to lose any substantial amounts of weight after the surgery.
Good Candidates for a Face Lift
Face lift surgery is focused on the bottom two-thirds of the face and the neck. It offers many benefits to those individuals who are looking for a solution to reduce the appearance of signs of aging. The most common reason to get a face lift is to hide the signs of aging.
It is important to remember that not every candidate is a suitable patient for the procedure. The criteria for a good candidate include the following:
- You are a healthy individual without any underlying medical condition that can interfere with wound healing, recovery, or the results of the treatment.
- You do not smoke or can quit before the face lift surgery.
- You do not use drugs or consume alcohol regularly.
- You are not pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to be pregnant soon.
- You have not had any facial rejuvenation procedures done recently.
- You do not have an injury or an infection in the treatment area.
- You have a positive outlook and realistic expectations for the results of your face lift.
The Face Lift Consultation
A rhytidectomy procedure begins with a consultation with Dr. Todd Rau, who will determine whether you are a suitable candidate. Your present medical condition, medical history, medications, allergies, and family medical history will be reviewed to determine if you are a suitable face lift candidate.
Dr. Rao will also conduct a physical examination of the face to frame a treatment plan. The treatment plan will include the number of incisions, type of incisions, amount of tissue to be removed or repositioned, and more.
Face Lift Procedure
Face lift surgery is most frequently performed on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia with sedation at the plastic surgery center in Redlands, California. Before the surgery begins, the treatment area is cleaned with a disinfectant or an antiseptic and the incision sites are marked. Dr. Rau makes incisions that create an outline of the face: across the hairline, behind both temples, in front of each ear, around the earlobes, behind the ears, and ending at the scalp on both sides of the head. The skin is gently removed from the underlying tissue and excess skin is removed. If needed, fat deposits beneath the neck and chin may be removed using liposuction. Dr. Rau tightens loose muscles and soft tissue around the face and closes the incisions with small sutures. The face lift procedure generally takes about 5 hours.
The reason why I chose Redlands Plastic Surgery and Dr. Todd Rau for my breast augmentation and breast lift was because he truly took the time to listen, address, and advise me with all the information I needed for surgery and to change my appearance in the way I desired. He guided me in the right direction.
Recovery From Face Lift Surgery
Following face lift surgery, the head is tightly bandaged to reduce swelling. Stitches are removed in 5 to 6 days and a support dressing is applied for the next 1 to 2 weeks. Swelling, bruising and numbness are normal and will subside over time. It is important to sleep with the head elevated during the recovery period. As healing begins, patients may encounter some temporary discoloration of the skin as well as temporary hair loss around incisions. Sometimes a facial nerve is bruised during the procedure, which may cause the temporary loss of function or sensation. However, this side effect is rarely permanent. Healing is gradual after a face lift surgery. Patients must avoid bending and heavy lifting for the first 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. It takes a full 6 months until all the benefits of the face lift surgery can be seen.