With a person’s face, we combine his or her identity as it reveals much about people. When we are happy, we laugh. When we are angry, we frown. It is mostly our face that conveys our mood and thus also represents our character. With increasing age, however, the elastic fibres of our skin lose elasticity and the underlying muscles sag, which relaxes the skin on the face and the neck. This results in crow’s feet, wrinkles and sagging cheeks. For our patients, the loss of looking fresh and young conflicts with their feelings. They want to look like they feel: young, vital and fit. A facelift can help!
The procedure of a facelift
A facelift reduces severe wrinkles by tightening the entire area of skin. A double-layered facelift (SMAS) is particularly effective since the underlying subcutaneous tissue and the fatty tissue as well as the skin itself are tightened. The upper facelift smoothes the skin of the forehead, temples, eyebrows and root of the nose. The lower facelift includes skin tightening of the neck and the cheeks. Both treatments can, at the patient’s request, also be performed as one single surgery.
The upper facelift is usually endoscopic, performed through small incisions in the scalp area. The „angry muscles“ – which cause increased wrinkling at the forehead – can be cut or removed. With the lower facelift, the incision is made near the hairline in the temporal region. The tissue is removed, tightened and the sagged soft tissue is lifted. Excess skin is removed.
Both procedures take about two hours and are performed under general anaesthesia. The patient spends one night in hospital for observation. A head bandage is applied for several days, so the wounds and swelling can heal. Drains in the wound make it possible to drain or collect blood and wound secretion easily. After one to two weeks, the healing process has progressed to the point that the patient can go on with her daily routine. The scars will barely be visible later as they will be hidden by the hairline. The final success of the surgery can be evaluated after three months at the earliest.
Facelift for men
Men opt for a facelift because they want to continue to represent vitality and thirst for action. They can counteract the conflict between their advancing age and the continuing joie de vivre. A facelift helps them look younger and feel more comfortable.
| Type of intervention | General anaesthesia |
|---|---|
| Duration of the procedure | 2 hours |
| Recovery time | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Hospital stay | 1 to 2 nights |