All surgical procedures come with a risk of complications, and facelifts are no different. Luckily facelifting has become a standard, reliable procedure so complications do not occur frequently. If you are thinking of getting a facelift, you should be aware of the kinds of complications that may arise, how often they occur and how best to avoid them. So what types of complications can occur?
Fat grafting at the time of facial cosmetic surgery, such as a facelift or blepharoplasty, is a routine part of the procedure for many patients. As described below, that is because facelifting only treats one aspect of the aging process: sagging. The addition of fat treats one of the other components of aging: atrophy.
Read moreShould I have fat grafting at the time of my facelift?
If you are in your 40’s, are you too young for a facelift?! The truth is that, of all the things you can have injected or done to your face, a well-performed facelift is probably the most effective and actually the cheapest!. The word “facelift” scares some people; they think it means “big operation” or “I will look weird”. What if it were called a cheek lift? Or a “mini-lift?” Somehow those are less scary and, in fact, are more accurate descriptions.
Read moreWhich Facelift Type is Best for Women in Their 40s?
Everyone hates their jowls. Other than changes around the eyes, the development of jowls is the most common complaint that people have regarding the aging face. What are jowls? When the skin and fat in the lower cheek become loose and begin to obscure or hang over the jawline, that is jowling. Most people develop those changes in the lower cheeks before they develop excess skin in the neck. There are some people where the neck changes occur first, but they are in the minority.
A facelift is a gold standard for rejuvenation of the aging face against which any other treatment must be compared. A properly performed facelift is the single most beneficial, long-lasting, and, considering it can be a substitute for a decade of less invasive treatments, cost-effective treatment available for the aging face.
Dr. Thorne is the Editor-in-Chief and the author of several chapters in Grabb and Smith's PLASTIC SURGERY, 7th Edition.
