Face Lift Surgery : Our face is the window to the world of our body, soul, emotions and even our age. When we are happy or sad, our face gives away our feelings. If we are very excited or worried about something, we can reveal our mood from our facial expression, raised eyebrows or from the wrinkle on our forehead.
While our face is so emotionally inclusive in many ways in our lives, it is also one of the areas where the signs of aging are seen the most and the fastest – probably because it has too much load. Moreover, the signs of aging in the face area progress faster than other areas. Of course, the aging of our face from top to bottom also has an effect on this.
Today, it is a fact that if we do not intervene correctly at the right time with the signs of aging we encounter in the facial area, let alone giving away our age, it can cause us to look much older than we are, even tired and weary.
In the past years, in case of facial aging, face lift surgeries were used immediately. Now, with the development of non-surgical aesthetic applications, face lift surgeries are the last option and these operations are applied at a much later age, for example, in the mid-40s, when collagen production is greatly reduced and deep lines begin to manifest themselves.
It is possible to look 10 years younger with a properly planned facelift surgery. Moreover, although you will continue to age after these operations, the signs of aging on your face will always be much less than your peers due to the operation you have undergone.
What Is Face Lift Surgery?
Although facelift surgery is often presented as an operation in which the wrinkled skin is removed, facelift surgery is a comprehensive operation that intervenes in the lower layers of the skin and must be performed by a plastic surgeon who is competent in the field and experienced in these operations.
The aim of face lift surgery is to remove the component tissue called smass, which is under the skin, and to provide a more taut and youthful appearance on the face. After the repair of the subcutaneous tissues is completed, the skin surface is stretched and the excess skin is surgically removed and the operation is completed. With this operation, deep wrinkles on the skin surface are removed and the person is given a younger appearance. In case of need, the neck area and eyelids are also intervened in facelift surgeries, especially in advanced ages.
Facelift Surgery Preparation Process
Facelift surgery is an effective operation that has long-term results and gives patients a 10-year younger look when applied correctly. In the operation performed under general anesthesia, it is necessary to stay in the hospital for 1 day and in some cases 2 days.
First of all, a consultation meeting is held with our patients who apply to us for facelift surgery. In this examination, the medical histories of our patients are taken. Regular medications and allergies, if any, are listed. At this point, if our patients say that they use blood thinners, they are told that they should stop taking these drugs an average of 10 days before the operation, with the knowledge of the doctor who prescribed these drugs. In addition to blood thinners, if our patients use additional food supplements, vitamins, and consume herbal teas, they should interrupt their consumption during the preparation period for the operation. These foods and teas are thought to have a blood thinning effect.
Another thing to be aware of is smoking. Smoking is a factor that slows down skin regeneration due to the nicotine it contains. However, due to the direct exposure of the face area, smoking before and after facelift surgery can greatly slow down the healing. For this reason, smoking should be stopped approximately 10 or even 15 days before the operation.
Facelift Aesthetic Surgery Day
As in every plastic surgery operation, 6-8 hours of fasting is required before facelift surgery. If we come to the day of surgery after the preparations including nutrition and lifestyle; First of all, you will be visited by your surgeon in the hospital room on the day of surgery. This is both a general information visit and a visit to draw the necessary guide lines for the operation to be performed. It is expected that you will be nervous and anxious during this time. Asking your surgeon any questions you may have will always help you calm down.
After the visit in the room, our patient is taken to the operating room by the hospital staff, and your surgeon goes to sterilize for the operation. After the anesthesia is given, the operation begins. The operation is a procedure performed under general anesthesia.
Depending on which facelift technique will be used, the first incision is made to the patient. Facelift surgeries are divided into facelift surgery, mid facelift surgery and mini facelift surgery. Among these surgeries, the most comprehensive and longer-lasting operation is face lift surgery. The procedure, performed under general anesthesia, takes an average of 3.5 hours. However, if the eyebrows, eyelids and neck area are to be intervened together with the face lift, the operation time can be doubled on average.
In facelift surgery, an incision is made on the scalp from the upper part of the girdle, and it is advanced from the front of the ear to the lower part of the earlobe. Although these incisions are minimal, they can be hidden very well after the operation. Thus, a scarless operation is performed, albeit partially. In the stretching process, which is performed by intervening the smass layer, the subcutaneous muscle and fat tissues are repaired and reshaped, then the skin is stretched and the surgery is completed. The point to be considered here is the amount of stretching of the leather.
Face lift operations are operations that should be planned with precision. The slightest excess to be made in these operations, for example, excessive stretching of the skin surface, may cause an artificial appearance without facial expression. Therefore, the operation should be planned very well individually. As in all aesthetic surgery operations, the aim in face lift operations is not only to look younger and more beautiful, but also not to compromise on natural appearance.
How Is The Recovery Process In Facelift Surgery?
Depending on the plan and scope of the operation, our patients stay in the hospital for 1 or 2 days after facelift surgery. It is normal for them to feel mild pain during this time. These pains can be easily controlled with mild painkillers. At the same time, ice compresses are applied to the patients in order to minimize possible edema and bruises in the first 48 hours.
The stitches on the face are removed 1 week after discharge, and the metal stitches on the scalp are removed after the 2nd week. It is important to protect your face area from excessive sunlight during this time. A hat and sunglasses will be of great help during this period.
At the end of the first week, you can take a bath only on the condition that you wash your body. As of the 2nd week, you can take a bath normally, including your face. However, you should still avoid movements such as rubbing. It is expected that there will be partial numbness on your face for the first 3 weeks. For this reason, we do not recommend using devices such as a dryer, especially after a bath. In the first two weeks, you should bend over and avoid positions where you will stand upside down and do heavy work. If possible, you should not use alcohol or cigarettes for the first 3 months of the operation.
With the effect of ice compresses applied, swelling and bruises are largely left behind in the first 3 weeks. You can return to work in approximately 7 to 10 days, provided that you do not tire yourself and protect yourself.