FACELIFT (RHYTIDOPLASTY)
The facelift operation is designed to improve the various areas of loose, sagging skin and muscle folds of the face and neck that are a consequence of aging. Facelift operations have several variations in design, depending upon the anatomy and degree of aging in individual patients. The skin, muscle, and fatty tissues of the face and neck are elevated and tightened to result in an improved appearance. Increasing numbers of men as well as women are experiencing the benefits of a facelift operation. As the general population ages, many older individuals who continue to work and enjoy good health wish to look as good as they can by diminishing the signs of aging.

Specific anatomy and appearance of each patient is the most important factor for determining suitability for facelift surgery. Overall, two groups of patients can benefit from a facelift: (1) younger individuals, usually around 40 to 50 years of age, who wish to forestall the signs of aging and maintain a youthful appearance and (2) older individuals who wish a dramatic correction in more severe facial and neck sagging.  The best results are usually obtained in those patients in the younger age group in whom tissues and muscles have not been almost irreversibly stretched and sagged.

Naturally, everyone contemplating the operation is interested in how much improvement they can expect and for what duration the improvement will be apparent. The amount of improvement depends upon the degree of wrinkling present and the patient's predetermined genetic predisposition. If it is marked, results may be dramatic. If sagging is early and the operation is being done to attempt to keep the patient looking young, the improvement may be more subtle - remarks will be made that the face looks less tired and more "alive."  The duration of improvement cannot be accurately predicted in all cases.  If wrinkling is severe, it will obviously take a longer time after surgery for the condition to become as bad as it was before surgery. If the degenerative process of the skin is very rapid, the wrinkles and sagging will occur more rapidly. In a face that is simply fat, it will be improved for only a short time. In ideal cases, however, the duration of improvement is often from 5 to 10 years. No operation can permanently prevent aging, but the individual can expect to appear younger than if the operation had not been performed.

The following facts related to the facelift operation specifically and the aging process in general should be understood:

1. A satisfactory facelift performed by an experienced surgeon is a major operative procedure that requires 2 to 3 hours of surgery. So-called mini facelift procedures generally result in only a "mini" effect and have little or no lasting value.

2. Facial creams, cosmetics, muscle exercise, and chin supports all have little or no effect on the aging process and cannot be substitute for a needed facelift where facial sagging and poor muscle tone exist.

3. The incisions required for a facelift, meticulously camouflaged in pre-existing wrinkles and within the hairline, are nearly invisible shortly after surgery.

4. Some patients will experience a variable degree of bruising and discoloration in the face and neck following surgery that generally subsides in 1 to 3 weeks. Ordinarily there is surprisingly little discomfort associated with facelift surgery.

5. A temporary numbness in and around the facelift incisions and ears is normal; sensation returns gradually within several weeks.

6. Finally, it should be understood that the facelift operation will not eliminate the small vertical creases about the lips, bulging or excess skin about the eyelids, or horizontal creases of the forehead - these disfigurements require separate procedures that may be combined with the facelift.