FaceLift
Spokane is a vibrant community, and our facelift patients often tell us they want to look as young as they feel. These women and men come to Plastic Surgery Northwest because they want their youthful energy to show when they look in the mirror and at others. A facelift is an excellent way to look naturally rejuvenated. Our board-certified plastic surgeons have an in-depth understanding of facial aging and the advanced surgical techniques required to address these changes.
How the Face Ages
The youthful face has full cheeks, a defined jawline and neck, and firm, smooth skin. Over the years, the following changes may occur and age your look:
- The skin on the face and neck thins, sags, and wrinkles
- Cheeks flatten and drop
- Hollows form at the temples and around the eyes
- Facial bones and tissues lose volume
- Fat and skin collect under the chin, and along the jawline and neck.
By accounting for this natural aging process, our surgeons perform facial plastic surgery to help patients look years younger, but still like themselves.
Facelift Techniques
At your consultation, your surgeon will review your medical history and ask you to describe your reasons for considering facelift surgery. Your surgeon will also perform a physical examination to assess your facial bone structure, underlying skin structure, skin thickness, texture, and elasticity, as well as the extent of facial wrinkles and folds. Your surgeon will use this information to recommend a treatment plan that may include one of the following facelift techniques:
- Full facelift, also called a traditional or complete facelift, focuses on the lower 2/3 of the face including nasolabial folds, lower cheeks, and jawline. This technique is performed most frequently because it provides the most significant rejuvenation.
- Mid-facelift, the sagging soft tissues of the cheek and lower eyelid areas. This procedure often includes injectable treatments such as JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® to replace lost volume.
- Short scar facelift, also called an S-lift or a limited incision facelift is best suited for patients with early signs of facial aging. The incision traces the lower ear, and does not extend up to the temple as with the full facelift.
Our surgeons often combine facelift surgery with non-surgical treatments such as facial fillers to replace lost volume and lift the skin and tissues.
Complete Your Facial Rejuvenation
Because aging usually shows up on multiple areas of the face, patients who want a complete rejuvenation choose to combine a facelift with one or more of the following procedures:
- Neck lift smooths loose, wrinkled neck skin, and corrects vertical neck bands for youthful contours. This procedure may be performed on its own, but is usually performed as part of a full facelift.
- Brow lift a heavy brow to open the upper eye area and smooth out lines across the forehead. Eyelid surgery lifts sagging upper eyelids and reduces under-eye bags for a refreshed, more youthful look.
- Eyelid surgery, lifts sagging upper eyelids and reduces under-eye bags for a refreshed, more youthful look.
Our surgeons often combine facelift surgery with non-surgical treatments such as facial fillers to replace lost volume and lift the skin and tissues.
About Facelift Surgery
At Plastic Surgery Northwest, facelift surgery is typically performed as an outpatient procedure in our private, certified surgery center using general anesthesia. Our surgery center has a separate entrance to ensure each patient’s privacy.
When performing a full facelift, the surgeon begins by placing incisions along the hairline at the temples and within natural creases of the face and neck where the resulting scars will be best concealed. The surgeon raises and tightens the underlying facial muscles and tissues and uses liposuction, if necessary, to remove pockets of excess fat. The skin is then carefully re-draped over the improved facial structure to avoid a tight, pulled look. Finally, excess skin is trimmed away, incisions are sutured closed, and the head is bandaged.
Recovery & Results
After surgery, patients usually have mild to moderate discomfort, bruising, and swelling that is temporary. To minimize these symptoms, patients should sleep with their heads elevated and apply ice packs as directed. Most patients feel well enough to go out in public within about a week. It typically takes 1 to 3 weeks for patients to be ready to return to non-strenuous jobs and resume socializing with people they know.
The results of your facelift may be subtle or dramatic, depending on your appearance prior to the surgery as well as the specific goals you established with your surgeon. Since the healing process is gradual, you should expect to wait at least several weeks for an accurate picture of your “new look.” Additional minor changes or settling may occur for several months following your facelift surgery. And of course, your face will continue to age as the years go by.
To discover how a facelift can help you look years younger, request a consultation online or call (509) 838-1010 to schedule an appointment.
Facelift Cost
The total cost of facelift surgery is determined based on factors like your medical examinations, surgeon’s fee, hospital charges, post-surgery garments, and anesthesia. The exact techniques used will also impact cost, as will the total time needed to perform the surgery.
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