In time, gravity, sun exposure, and the stresses of daily life take their toll on our faces: deep creases appear beside the mouth, the jaw line slackens, and folds and fat deposits appear on the neck. Facelifts counteract these problems by removing fat and tightening skin and muscles, giving your face a fresher, youthful look. After surgery, some patients appear 10-15 years younger.

A facelift can be combined with a browlift, eyelid surgery or nose reshaping for more dramatic results, or it can be restricted to the neck if the patient's problems center there. Incisions are made in inconspicuous places such as behind the hairline and in natural folds of the face and ears, and scars fade to near invisibility in time. Results of a facelift do not last forever, but in another sense, the effects are permanent; years later, your face will continue to look better than if you had never had the procedure.

Who is a candidate for Facelift Surgery?

Because people age differently, some people are candidates for a facelift in their late thirties while others wait until they are 60 or 70 years older. The best patient for a facelift is a man or woman whose face and neck have begun to sag, but whose skin still has some elasticity and whose bone structure is strong and well-defined.

The Facelift Procedure

Traditionally, an incision is made that starts two to three inches above the ear in the hairline behind temple which extends down in front of the ear for two to three inches and around the ear lobe, and then into the crease behind the ear with an extension into the hair behind the ear. Modified techniques are becoming popular which reduce the length of the incision behind the ear and into the scalp. Dr. Popham and Dr. White prefer to use the modified facelift approach, also known as the "minimal" facelift, on younger patients who generally have less skin laxity to correct and are thus able to have a shorter scar. In another modified approach, the incision stops short of the hairline and extends around and in front of the sideburn area to minimize the alteration of the sideburn or temporal hairline location. This technique also works well for men who may not have thick enough hair to cover scars.

After facelift surgery some degree of bruising and swelling will occur as well as temporary numbness in the face and neck. Makeup can be worn a few days after the procedure and patients are often back to work within two weeks.