Facelift (Rhytidectomy)
Most of the natural aging you experience takes place on your face, where wrinkles and volume loss can set in and make you appear older. Surgical and nonsurgical options are effective when treating aging skin, but the procedure you choose depends on the results you desire.
Our physicians perform both surgical and nonsurgical facial rejuvenation at Cosmetic Surgeons of Michigan, PC, but will suggest a facelift if you require a permanent and significant change to your facial contour. Opting for a surgical solution can take years off of your appearance and improve skin laxity that may be making you feel self-conscious.
Is a Facelift Right for You?
Many people wish to refresh their look as they continue to age, but not everyone desires invasive techniques that are typically associated with surgery. Deciding which facial rejuvenation method depends on the amount of enhancement you wish to receive.
If you are looking for a permanent way to achieve youthful skin, then a facelift will provide the results you’re looking for; however, if you prefer subtle changes that you are able to adjust over time, then nonsurgical injectable treatment may be better-suited for you. You can discuss your options with one of our physicians who can help you decide which treatment to choose.
Video transcript
“Depending on the patient’s age, if they’re younger and their aging in the forehead isn’t extensive, and as long as the eyebrow hairs aren’t underneath the orbital rim, which is the bone surrounding the eye, then we might use something that’s less invasive called an endoscopic forehead lift. You make several small incisions in the scalp, lift the scalp, and then secure it with the use of these small fixation devices. The advantage of the procedure is that it’s fairly quick, has easier downtime, and you probably get people back to work within a week or so. It helps if you don’t need a significant improvement.
Now, if you’re looking at an older patient, especially men and even some women where the eyebrow hairs are below the orbital bone and there isn’t much space between the eyelashes and the brow, then you’re looking at more of an open procedure. You make incisions in the scalp, bring that tissue back, and then tighten it. The advantage of that is it’s a longer-lasting procedure. I’ve never had to redo a brow lift, an open type procedure, but it’s a much stronger and better result. But it’s like anything else; there’s a higher recovery rate to it. You probably would need a minimum of two weeks to recover, depending on the person.
So those techniques in the upper face are good. In the lower and mid-face, there are several different techniques you can use for rejuvenation. The simplest is skin excisions. They’re easy, quick, and kind of the weekend facelift procedure of old. The advantages are that they’re quick, easy to recover from, and there isn’t much risk or much recovery, but you won’t get as strong of a result.
As people get older, you’ll start to notice that their fat pad and their buckle fat pad will get droopier or larger, and they’ll get weakness in their muscles and their skin laxity as well. With patients like that, you have to do more of a deep plane facelift because it’s just a longer-lasting lift, addressing all the factors — ligaments, fat pad, and tightening up the skin. Those are longer recovery procedures, usually a couple of weeks, but it’s the longest and strongest-lasting facelift that we have.
It can also be used more with smokers because you’re not really thinking that the skin’s doing most of the work; it’s more of the deeper tissues, and the skin’s just kind of along for the ride. Those are similar procedures that we would use in the neck too. You can do small excisions and submentoplasties if you don’t need much, but usually, the gold standard would be incisions behind the ear, and you can tighten up the neck with impunity. I don’t think there’s anything in any area that you can overtighten in a neck, whereas a face, you could do some bad results if people look like they’ve been through a wind tunnel. But a neck, I try and tighten as tight as I can, and I tell patients that it’s going to be very tight after. But that’s probably how it was when you were 20, you know, so you just have to get used to that a little bit.
All these different surgical procedures are intertwined with potentially fat grafting from the patients. A lot of times, now we know that we lose bone density as we get older, people get shorter and all that, and hunched over. But probably we lose a fair amount of bone in the face too. Since we can’t really replace the bone, a lot of times, we’ll use implants or the patient’s own fat. Most patients like their own fat, and I like it too because it’s a little more natural than an implant. So we’ll use that as well. If they have too much fat in their face, we’ll suction some of the fat out. Those different types of procedures are very individualized; not every patient is getting the same surgery. They’re getting a surgery that’s just right for them.”–Dr. George T. Goffas
Why Receive a Facelift?
The natural aging process is inevitable and can be made more apparent from years of exposure to the sun and other environmental factors, the effects of gravity and genetics. Each of these conditions can lead to wrinkles forming and your skin losing the elasticity that helped it look plump and firm in the past.
When you begin to lose volume in your face, it can make features appear sunken and worn, and many of these conditions can impact your confidence, making you feel self-conscious about aging.
Although there is no cosmetic solution that will stop the aging process completely, there are ways to slow down its progression. If you are displeased with the way aging skin is making you look, then discussing a facelift with our physicians may be your next step.
Video transcript
“Facelift evolution has changed a lot, kind of just from what society wants and what the doctors can perform. In my practice, initially, the facelift surgeries were traditional facelifts, deep plane, sometimes skin excisions, use of implants, and we got good results. But as society moved on, there was a big focus on minimally invasive procedures and quick recoveries, which are hard to do with what I would consider more longer-lasting facelift surgery. So I went through that phase with a lot of endoscopic and minimally invasive techniques, and that lasted probably about 5 years or so, and I just wasn’t getting as good of results.
Now I generally tell the patients if they really want good improvement, they’re going to need a real face and necklift, and they’ll probably need 10 to 14 days off of work. If they can do that, they’ll get good results. If not, we might be able to help them out with just skin excisions and other minimally invasive techniques.
But I think the pendulum is swinging a little bit back now again towards actual surgery versus the minimally invasive techniques for several reasons. One reason, I think patients realize that they’re in the doctor’s office more with the fillers and the Botox and these techniques and the lasers and all that. But when you get like a good surgical procedure, they’re good for 7 to 10 years. And if you look at the cost and the time involved, it could be a better deal in the long run.”–Dr. George T. Goffas
Your Consultation
Our physicians perform facelift surgery in a way that aligns with your cosmetic goals and your facial construct so that your results look as natural as possible. Your treatment is customized completely so that you receive significant rejuvenation that still looks like you.
During a consultation with our physicians, your medical history will be reviewed to determine whether surgery is a viable option for you. We can also determine the areas of your face that should be targeted with surgery and design a treatment plant that specifically enhances the contours of your face. Your physician will assess the laxity of your skin as well as the amount of volume loss and choose the best incisional technique that will allow him to tighten the skin.
You can view before and after photos of previous facelift procedures, receive post-operative instructions, discuss the cost of your surgery, and learn more about the procedural details that will help you decide whether a facelift is right for you.
Video transcript
“Facelifts in my practice are really somewhat patient-driven. I find out, again, addressing the chief complaint: why is the patient there? If they’re there because they feel they have a saggy neck but their eyebrows are bad, we’ll address the saggy neck first. But then I’ll explain to them why people might not notice the saggy neck repair, but they will notice that they still look tired because of their forehead or eye area. Depending on what the patient wants, I’ll kind of let them guide me as to what we’re going to do. But I do want to give them a good result because, like I say, a lot of people focus on their neck, but their eyes and forehead are the problem that makes them look tired. So if you don’t rejuvenate that, they’re not really going to have that great of an improvement.
Most of my patients, I explain to them that if the job’s done right, many times our best work goes unnoticed. And I think there’s a lot of truth to that because people will notice there’s a difference: they look rested, they don’t look tired anymore, they look energized. But they’re not going to know exactly what. But I think post-surgical if everyone’s like, “Wow, who did your facelift?” it was probably overdone.”–Dr. George T. Goffas
What Happens During Facelift Surgery?
All surgeries are performed either in a hospital setting or a private facility that is AAAHC-accredited. Either location is structured for your safety, confidentiality, and overall peace of mind. Your facelift will start once your physician places you under general anesthesia, at which point he will make the necessary incisions into the face.
Your physician can create incisions in several ways, depending on the amount of change you desire from your facelift. Traditionally, a facelift incision begins at the hairline near the temples and continues around the ears toward the back of the head; however, shorter incisions around the ears are also used for a softer lift.
Your facelift is also a perfect time to receive additional enhancement in specific locations. Many patients will receive an eyelid lift or brow lift for optimal improvement. The amount of excess skin to be removed is something you can discuss with your physician during your consultation; he can decide whether secondary surgeries are necessary.
Once your physician re positions the skin, he will close your incisions with sutures and transfer you to a private recovery room.
Your Recovery and Results
Your physician will provide you with recovery instructions before your surgery takes place, explaining the best ways to care for your incisions and limit any chances of infection. It may take several weeks for you to heal fully and see the results of your facelift, but following your post-operative instructions will ensure you see the effects of your facelift as quickly as possible.
It’s best to take precautions during your recovery process and refrain from handling your bandages and sutures until your physician is ready to remove them. We also suggest using sun protection and avoiding putting on clothing over your head for the first few days after surgery.
You will experience some swelling and bruising immediately after surgery, which will subside as you continue to heal. Your physician may prescribe pain medication to soothe any discomfort you experience and schedule follow-up appointments that allow him to monitor how your incisions are healing.
After several weeks, your skin will feel smoother and look tighter. Overall you should appear more youthful after receiving a facelift from your physician, which should give you the confidence you need to age gracefully.
Areas served:
- St. Clair Shores
- Detroit
- Grosse Pointe
About Cosmetic Surgeons of Michigan, PC
Board certified cosmetic surgeon Dr. Goffas has served patients in the metro Detroit area for over 15 years. He would be happy to discuss questions you may have about facelifts (rhytidectomy), and to help you decide if Cosmetic Surgeons of Michigan, PC is the right fit for you. To schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Goffas, contact us online or call (586) 773-6900.
If you would like more information about facelift surgery, contact Cosmetic Surgeons of Michigan, PC at 586-773-6900 and schedule a consultation with us.