What is Facelift Surgery?
Whether you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s, or 70s, you might be interested in looking younger. You might still have good facial skin tone, but your skin may be looser than in years past. You might see creases, sagging, and wrinkles, too. A facelift in Albany, NY, at The Plastic Surgery Group can take years off your appearance. Even if you’re beyond your 70s, our experienced board-certified plastic surgeons can help you look refreshed, less tired, and more attractive.
FEATURED PATIENTS
Facelift Surgery Before and After
Good candidates for facelift surgery are women and men, typically in their 40s to 70s, who want to restore a youthful look. This procedure rejuvenates the lower 2/3 of the face by providing the following benefits:
- Adding volume to flattened cheeks
- Smoothing folds and wrinkles around the nose, outer corners of the mouth, and chin
- Tightening loose skin on the cheeks and jawline
- Reducing fat and sagging tissue that has formed jowls
During your consultation, your surgeon will review your medical history, ask you about the improvements you want, and evaluate your facial aging.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FACELIFTS?
Face lift techniques fall into the following general types:
- A traditional facelift, also called a complete or full facelift, provides the most significant and longest lasting rejuvenation of the lower portion of the face. Sagging cheeks are lifted, and lax skin is tightened. Our surgeons use advanced surgical techniques to provide the most natural-looking results. The traditional facelift is usually combined with a neck lift to provide natural-looking rejuvenation that extends down to the collarbone.
- A mini facelift, also called a limited-incision facelift, is appropriate for patients with mild to moderate sagging of the lower face. The advantages of this technique include reduced surgical time and less extensive recovery than with the traditional facelift.
- A liquid facelift, also called a non-surgical facelift, reduces signs of aging with a personalized combination of BOTOX® Cosmetic and dermal filler injections. In addition, your surgeon may recommend skin tightening with Ultherapy® and possibly a laser skin treatment such as ProFractional™ laser skin resurfacing or erbium laser resurfacing.
Just as everyone’s face is unique, so is each facelift procedure we perform. Your facelift at The Plastic Surgery Group will be carefully customized to best suit your unique facial dimensions, skin type, bone structure, and personal goals. Your surgeon may also use fat transfer techniques to restore lost volume around your eyes and on your cheeks. This involves removing fat from an area of your body where it is unwanted, purifying it, and injecting it into areas of the face that need more volume.
HOW MUCH DOES A FACELIFT COST?
The typical range for a complete facelift without a neck lift is $7,500 to $8,500. Specific prices for facelift surgery depend on many factors, including the specific technique you choose, the complexity of the procedure, and whether your facelift is combined with other procedures or nonsurgical treatments. Most patients can qualify for financing through CareCredit®, if desired. For the best surgical outcome, we recommend considering your surgeon’s credentials above cost. Visit Meet the Surgeons to learn more about important considerations.
Dr Gannon is an excellent doctor, caring, kind, listens to you and follows through with your care and concerns!
-Ella R.
CAN A FACELIFT BE COMBINED WITH OTHER PROCEDURES?
Your surgeon can provide a more complete facial renewal by combining your facelift with other face procedures such as one or more of the following:
- Neck lift to tighten sagging neck muscles and loose skin
- Eyelid surgery to reduce loose eyelid skin and puffy under-eye bags
- Brow lift to elevate a naturally heavy brow or one that has drooped over time
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET A FACELIFT?
In most cases, our surgeons perform facelift surgery on an outpatient basis in a hospital or surgical center. Some plastic surgeons may decide to have a patient stay in the hospital overnight, depending on the type of anesthesia that is used for the surgery. Other medical conditions may necessitate an overnight hospital stay. Your plastic surgeon will discuss these options with you during your consultation.
Your surgeon places incisions close to the hairline and the front of the ears as well as behind the ears (see illustration). In some cases, if the skin of the neck requires tightening, incisions will be made in the area below the chin. Next, your surgeon reduces excess fatty tissue, either surgically or through liposuction, that has accumulated on the neck and chin areas. Your surgeon then tightens the muscle and tissue under the loosened skin, repositions the skin, and removes some of the excess skin. The surgeon closes the incisions with stitches and uses special clips to secure the incisions around the scalp line.
A facelift normally takes a few hours to complete and may take longer if you are having more than one procedure performed. When the surgery is complete, your plastic surgeon may place a temporary drainage tube behind your ear to assist with the elimination of any collected blood from the surgery.
Frequently Asked Questions About Facelift
HOW LONG IS RECOVERY FROM FACELIFT?
Most facelift patients need about 2 to 3 weeks of recovery time after a facelift, although experiences vary. One of the most important ways to promote the healing process after facelift surgery is to rest and allow your body to focus on the healing process.
FIRST FEW DAYS
Most people have relatively little discomfort after facelift surgery, and any discomfort that may occur can be quite effectively managed through prescription medication. Your plastic surgeon may advise you to try to keep your head in an elevated position for a few days following your surgery to help minimize swelling.
7 DAYS
If you have bandages placed after your surgery, you can expect them to be removed within a week, and most stitches most likely come out within the same time period. The special sutures around your scalp might have to remain slightly longer than your stitches because that area may take a little longer to begin to heal.
2 TO 3 WEEKS
Most patients are ready to return to work within about 2 to 3 weeks. It is common to experience loss of sensitivity of some of the scalp and skin after the surgery; this normally disappears within a short period of time.
THINGS TO AVOID DURING RECOVERY
After your facelift, expect to avoid the following activities until cleared by your surgeon:
- All strenuous activity
- Sexual activity
- Heavy cleaning
- Drinking alcoholic beverages
- Taking hot, steamy baths
- Exposing yourself to strong, direct sunlight for the first few months
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LOOK NORMAL AFTER A FACELIFT?
Be reassured that all of these conditions will gradually fade, and your new, freshened appearance will begin to appear within about 3 weeks.
WILL THE FACELIFT SCARS BE NOTICEABLE?
There is no way to avoid permanent scars with facelift surgery. The good news is that these scars are usually quite undetectable because they are hidden behind your hairline or in the natural folds of your face and around your ears.
IS A FACELIFT PERMANENT?
Although a facelift can make you look years younger, it can’t stop the aging process. However, you will still look more refreshed and younger than if you hadn’t had your surgery. Some people have more than one facelift over a period of years to maintain their freshened appearance.
WILL THE FACELIFT SCARS BE NOTICEABLE?
There is no way to avoid permanent scars with facelift surgery. The good news is that these scars are usually quite undetectable because they are hidden behind your hairline or in the natural folds of your face and around your ears.
WHAT'S THE RIGHT AGE FOR A FACELIFT?
DO YOU OFFER NON-SURGICAL ALTERNATIVES?
WILL A FACELIFT REJUVENATE MY WHOLE FACE?
No, a facelift is not intended to address the upper portion of the face, including the eyes and forehead. If you are concerned about these areas, your surgeon may recommend eyelid surgery or a brow lift be performed at the same time as your facelift.
HOW SOON WILL I BE ABLE TO RETURN TO WORK?
You can expect to return to a non-strenuous job about 2 weeks after your facelift, depending on your individual healing process and physical stamina.
WHAT CAN I DO TO GET BACK TO WORK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE?
At The Plastic Surgery Group, our facelift patients enjoy the benefits of our full-service, on-site medical spa, Spa One. Our trained and experienced aestheticians will help minimize any swelling, discoloration, and irritation you may have during the immediate postoperative period. They will also help you develop an ongoing, at-home skincare regimen to help you maintain your renewed youthfulness.
WILL PEOPLE NOTICE THAT I’VE HAD SURGERY?
A facelift that is performed properly should not show obvious signs of surgery. Our plastic surgeons are very skilled and use precise surgical techniques to avoid a tight or pulled appearance. This outcome is ideal for people who don’t expect to erase all signs of aging and are more interested in natural-looking results. Many of our patients express that they look more refreshed and youthful after surgery.
WILL I NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER FACELIFT IN THE FUTURE?
Although a facelift can last for many years, your skin and muscles will still be susceptible to the effects of time and gravity. You will continue to age after a facelift, but you will look younger than your chronological age because of surgery. If you decide that you want to continue to look good at a new stage of life, another facelift may be beneficial.
CAN A FACELIFT ADDRESS ALL OF MY FACIAL WRINKLES?
A facelift can improve the look of deep marionette lines, which run vertically from the corners of the mouth to the chin. It can also improve the look of smile lines or laugh lines that appear as parenthesis around the mouth. However, a facelift will not correct fine lines in the skin, which is why additional treatments such as laser resurfacing or dermal fillers may be beneficial.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS?
Rarely are there serious or long-lasting complications from facelift surgery. But, as with all surgeries, there are potential complications that may occur. In rare cases, blood may collect under a certain area of the skin that will have to be removed by your plastic surgeon. Also in extremely rare cases, facial muscles or nerves may be affected, leading to temporary stiffness or awkward movements.
You should follow the directions your plastic surgeon gives you before and after your facelift surgery to minimize the occurrence of complications and to promote the healing process.
EXPLORE PROCEDURES
RELATED PROCEDURES
about us
meet the team
Our group of plastic surgeons and dedicated support staff strive to provide beautiful, natural-looking results and a rewarding patient experience for everyone who visits us for cosmetic surgery.
★★★★★
real patients. real confidence.
