How to Tighten Skin and Revitalize Your Look with a Face and Neck Lift Santa Monica
Patients who come to our clinic complaining of sagging and loose skin on their face and neck have the option of having a face lift and neck lift performed at the same time. It’s not unusual for both Los Angeles facial plastic surgery procedures to be done concurrently. Why would a patient want a more youthful and vibrant face when their neck is still plagued with wattles and bands?
First Thing: The Consultation
Our patient has a consultation with Dr. Aynehchi weeks or even months before their facial cosmetic surgery in Los Angeles. During their meeting, they’ll tell the surgeon what they want to achieve from their combined facelift and necklift. The surgeon will let them know if they’re a good candidate for the surgeries and tell them what their options are. For example, some patients prefer a traditional facelift while others opt for what’s called a mini-face lift. When it comes to the neck lift, they can have cervicoplasty, which just removes excess skin, or platysmaplasty, which treats both the skin and the muscles in the neck.
A good candidate for a face lift and neck lift is in good overall mental and physical health and has realistic expectations when it comes to both surgeries. Their skin has retained much of its elasticity, so the best candidates are people in early middle age to young old age.
The surgeon asks the patient about any previous surgeries they’ve had and if they have any underlying conditions such as diabetes or problems with blood clotting. They’ll need to tell the doctor if they’re taking any medications or supplements, as some types of drugs and supplements can delay healing. The patient may be asked to discontinue these medications starting at least two weeks before their surgery. They’ll also be asked to stop smoking if they do.
The surgeon will then examine the patient’s skin for its suppleness and texture, as well as its wrinkles and lines and will check their hairline to determine the best place for sutures.
Preparing for Face Lift and Neck Lift Surgery
Once the patient is discharged, they will need to have someone drive them home and stay with them for a night or two. If needed, a concierge home nurse can be supplied by our office. They’ll also need to prepare their home for their recuperation. This means any household duties and preparing their resting area with anything they may need, such as their medication.
The Face Lift Surgery
During traditional facelift procedure Los Angeles, the patient is under general anesthesia or local anesthesia with light sedation. There are many ways to perform a face tightening surgery in Los Angeles, but the basic procedure has the surgeon make incisions around the natural curve of the ear, around the earlobe and into the hairline. Depending on the extent of skin and muscle laxity, an incision under the chin may also be needed. The surgeon then frees the patient’s skin from the tissue beneath. They then trim excess skin, reposition deeper tissues and may also remove unwanted fat from the chin. The operation takes between two and three hours.
The same incision under the chin can be used to perform the neck lift, though another incision is made just underneath the jawline. The skin is then sutured together behind the ear.
The surgeon closes up the incisions with non-absorbable sutures or skin glue, and they may use surgical staples around the hairline. After this, they’ll bandage the patient’s head and face to keep swelling down.
Recovery
How long it takes a patient to recover from a face and necklift surgery in Los Angeles depends on the type of surgery they had done. The surgeon prescribes pain medication and antibiotics, and one tip is for the patient to fill these prescriptions before the surgery so they’ll be immediately available when needed. Before the patient is discharged, the nurse will instruct them in how to care for their surgical wounds and give them dates for follow up appointments.
The nurse or doctor also tells the patient to sleep with their head elevated for at least two or three nights after their surgery. This can be done by piling pillows against the head of the bed. Swelling and bruising can be eased by ice packs, and the patient should rest as much as they can for at least the first week after their surgery.
The surgeon removes the sutures within 5 to 10 days after the operation. After about two weeks, the patient really starts to see the results of their face and neck lift and they’ll feel strong enough to do some light housework and gentle exercise. They should not go to the gym for at least a month and a half after their surgery and wear sunblock if they need to go out in the sun. It’ll probably take a few months for the swelling to go away completely and about half a year for the incision lines to significantly fade. The final results of a refreshed and more youthful face and neck will be visible.
If you think that a facelift or necklift alone might not suit your plastic surgery needs, Westside Face offers a variety of cosmetic procedures that can improve your confidence, including:
WHAT TO EXPECT, COMPLICATIONS, RECOVERY
Facelifts and necklifts are surgery, albeit purely cosmetic; it would be wrong to say it doesn’t come with its fair share of risks and complications. Some of the most biggest complications that patients may experience are:
- Infection
- Scarring
- Bleeding
- Bruising
- Loss Of Hair At The Incision Site
- Numbness or Damage To The Facial Nerves
- Hematoma
- Skin Necrosis
A surgeon from Westside Face should go over these in detail with you prior to your surgery so that you can go into the procedure feeling calm and confident.
FACELIFT VS. FILLER: WHAT’S BETTER?
Those looking for a youthful complexion may be torn between choosing filler injections or going all out for a facelift. A facelift is full-on surgery, so it comes with complications, risks, and recovery time. However, a single facelift procedure takes 15 years off your appearance, and it lasts for about a decade. If you don’t have deep wrinkles, then filler may smooth over your fine lines. Botox is a material that is injected into fine lines and wrinkles, filling out the skin. Filler lasts 6 months to 2 years, so you will need to visit your surgeon for touchups.
