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A facelift is also known as a
rhytidectomy.
Time and gravity can alter our
facial symmetry to distort our looks and make us
appear older. As aging skin loses its tone and elasticity,
more wrinkles, creases and sagging skin appear.
Of all the cosmetic surgical procedures
that Dr. Chartchai does, the facelift
is possibly the one procedure his patients want
most yet are most anxious about.
For Dr. Chartchai a natural, refreshed
look is preferable to the old-fashioned "windswept"
or "tunnel" look of a too-tightly pulled lift.
As a result, Dr. Chartchai's patients
are extremely pleased with the outcomes of their
facial plastic surgery. When they see their new
"look" post-surgery, they see firmer, toned, and
refreshed faces that have been subtly "adjusted"
with as little noticeable scarring as possible.
This is extremely important especially for older
men who have very little hair with which to hide
any scars that might show.
Women and men in their mid 40s
to mid 50s, at a time when the signs of aging begin
to show in the face, may be the best candidates
for partial facelifts. When they reach the mid 50s
to mid 60s, they are more likely candidates for
full facelifts.
As facial cosmetic surgery is
"superficial", with only a minimal amount of blood
loss, no entry into body cavities, and no strict
confinement to bed rest after surgery, almost everyone
who doesn't have serious health problems can have
facial surgery.
What do you want to change?
When you are dissatisfied about your facial appearance
and structure, you poke here and there, pull your
skin up behind your ears or into your hairline.
Dr. Chartchai will also do this during his examination
of you to help you determine what you most dislike,
what you want improved, and how to do this for you
with the most naturally looking results. This may
be a full facelift, a partial facelift, or other
surgery that will correct your nose, your drooping
or baggy eyelids, or a too-weak or too-strong jaw.
There are 4 main areas of the
face where the sagging effects of aging are most
apparent, in the forehead, in the temporal and cheek
area, in the lower jaw, and in the neck. With aging,
facial fat either descends or goes away, or a combination
of both, and muscle tissue may lose mass and laxity.
Depending on the extent of this
movement or reduction of fat and tissue and the
sagging of your skin, Dr. Chartchai will consider
what will give you the best and most natural looking
outcome from your surgery. He will determine during
the consultation whether a full facelift is best,
or whether the results you want can be achieved
by doing a partial facelift.
- Mid-face lift
Also called a temporal lift or cheek lift
In the temple region, droopy skin particularly
of the upper eyelids can be so significant it
can interfere with a person's vision. Most people
accept the crow's feet that appear when they smile
as long as they are minimal.
A mid-face lift will elevate some of this descended
temple fat as well as smooth out your wrinkles.
Wrinkles that appear with smiling will not be
eliminated but will be less severe. A combination
of brow lift [link to brow lift] and/or lower
blepharoplasty [link to eyelid surgery] may be
necessary to treat significant crow's feet.
In the cheeks, as facial fat and muscle tissue
disappears or decreases, it bunches up just above
the nasal-labial crease giving the typical appearance
of a fallen face. During a facelift, or the mid-face
lift, Dr. Chartchai will choose the best of several
techniques to reposition the underlying tissue
upward.
- Lower face lift
A fleshy, sagging neckline may be due to jowling
and fatty deposits below the chin or excess drooping
of skin. Dr. Chartchai may determine that simply
removing the excess, or a bit of liposuction may
be all that's necessary. Or he may advise that
a neck lift [link to neck lift] is the procedure
best able to fix your problems. In order to tighten
prominent bands or cords in the neck and restore
a younger, chiseled look to your neck and chin
line, surgery will be required.
- The underlying facial skeleton has a significant
effect on facial appearance as well as eyelid
position. Bone modification can be performed by
cheek
implants or a chin
implant to create a stronger or more balanced
jaw, or by careful shaving of the jaw
bone to ease an overly sharply defined jaw.
For some people, nose
surgery will create a more balanced appearance
to the face.
Procedure
The face is divided into 3 parts for surgical diagnosis:
forehead, temporal region and cheeks, and neck.
If you are having a full facelift, incisions are
made in the hairline and in the creases in front
of the earlobe and at the back of the ear. Dr. Chartchai
will place incisions inside the ear if possible,
and in all ways work to minimize visible scarring.
The surgery, using local or general
anesthesia, can take 2-5 hours to perform depending
on the extent of the work involved.
Recovery time
To minimize swelling, you will be given cold packs
for the first day while you keep your head elevated.
Drains may be used to take away excess fluids and
to promote healing.
Swelling will subside in 2-3 weeks
to nearly normal and in 3-6 months it should be
gone. Total healing takes about a year. You will
need about 2 weeks away from work for this procedure.
About 3 weeks after surgery, you may resume normal
activities. Avoid sun exposure for several months
post surgery.
Possible complications
There may be some bleeding in the first 24 hours
which may take a few weeks to dissipate. Minimal
bruising, a common complication, will take many
weeks to finally dissipate. For most of this time,
concealing makeup will be sufficient to cover all
evidence of bruising.
During surgery, one or more of
the nerves that control facial muscles may be injured;
if they are bruised, the symptoms should subside
in 3-12 months. Sensory nerves in the area of the
ear may be cut and some numbness may occur there.
Some collected bleeding may occur
in the first 24 hours. During surgery, the motor
facial nerves may be injured, but this should be
extremely minimal in an experienced professional
hand.
After a combination facelift and
neck
lift, it takes up to 3 weeks to look near normal,
3-6 months for all swelling to subside, and a year
until the face and neck are completely healed. Vigorous
activity and work should be avoided for the first
2 weeks. Exposure to the sun should be limited for
the first few months.
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