A facelift is generally performed with general anesthesia to ensure you experience no pain during your procedure.
FACELIFT PROCEDURE
If you’re ready to look in the mirror and see a refreshed, more youthful appearance staring back at you, it may be time to start thinking about a Facelift.
WHAT IS A FACELIFT?
Over time, gravity, sun exposure, and the stresses of daily life take their toll on the face and neck. Deep creases appear beside the mouth, the jawline slackens, and the neck develops loose folds and fat deposits. Dr. Stephens’s facelift counteracts these signs of aging by tightening muscle, removing fat, and trimming excess skin, giving your face a fresher, youthful look. After facelift surgery, many patients look 10-15 years younger. Facelifts, technically known as Rhytidectomy (literally, “the removal of wrinkles”), rejuvenate the mid to lower face and neck.
BENEFITS OF A FACELIFT
A facelift is a popular cosmetic procedure because it provides a dramatically younger, more sculpted and refined facial appearance that provides more confidence and self-esteem. Further benefits include the following:
- Eliminates loose skin
- Achieves a youthful lift for sagging facial features
- Resolves jowls or a double chin
- Reverses many signs of aging in one surgical procedure
- Turns back the clock as much as ten years
- Smooths away wrinkles and creases
- Sculpts the contours of the face
WHO IS A CANDIDATE FOR A FACELIFT?
During your consultation with Dr. Stephens, he will evaluate your areas of concern and go over your aesthetic goals. He will then be able to tell you if a facelift is right for you or not. If so, he may recommend other procedures to elevate your facelift. If you’re considering a facelift in Baton Rouge, you may be an excellent candidate. During your consultation, Dr. Stephens will discuss whether a facelift is right for you.
Who want to improve signs of aging on the face
Whose faces have begun to sag but whose skin still has some elasticity
Generally healthy and do not smoke
Have realistic expectations for what a facelift can accomplish
Considering a facelift for personal reasons, not because someone else is pressuring them to do so
AREAS YOU WANT CORRECTED
Midface sagging
Deep creases under the eyes
Deep creases between the nose and mouth (nasolabial folds)
Jowls due to loss of muscle tone
Sagging areas of fat
Loose skin and fat under the chin and jaw
COST OF FACELIFT PROCEDURE
The cost of facelift surgery ranges between $10,000 and $13,000, encompassing operating room costs, anesthesia fees, and follow-up appointments. To help make facelift surgery more affordable, we offer financing options, allowing patients to spread out the cost over time and make the procedure financially manageable.
FACELIFT PROCEDURE DETAILS
Our facelifts in Baton Rouge are typically outpatient procedures performed under either IV sedation or general anesthesia. The surgery takes about two hours. In all three of the following methods, the incisions are closed with stitches or tissue glue. Scars are hidden in the hairline and natural contours of the face. The facelift technique that Dr. Stephens selects for you will depend on your facial structure, goals, and the extent of correction needed.
TRADITIONAL FACELIFT
Also known as a full facelift, this method rejuvenates the face, jowls, and neck. It includes fat sculpting, lifting, and re-positioning of muscle and deeper tissues, as well as skin trimming and re-draping. The incision begins at the temples and travels down to the front of the ear, around the earlobe, and behind the ear to the lower scalp at the hairline. Sometimes another incision is made under the chin as well.
LIMITED-INCISION FACELIFT
A limited-incision facelift is designed for limited rejuvenation around the eyes and mouth, including the nasolabial folds and other deep creases. Short incisions are made at the temples and around the ear, and possibly in the lower eyelids and/or under the upper lip as well.
LIQUID FACELIFT
As a non-surgical procedure, patients can undergo a liquid facelift without having to worry about scars. Areas such as the jowls, mid-face, nasolabial folds, and temples can all be sculpted, giving the face an overall enhanced shape and structure. However, it should be noted that the results from a liquid facelift are not permanent.
While no two liquid facelift procedures are ever the same, they usually involve some combination of dermal fillers. Some of these include Sculptra, Restylane, and Juvederm. In many cases, these fillers are combined with a neuromodulator such as BOTOX, which can prevent new muscles from forming.
When used together, these products can achieve some outstanding results in the face, reducing the appearance of fine lines and creating changes that are similar to a standard facelift. Most exciting of all, the results of a liquid facelift can be seen immediately, making it the ideal option for patients who are seeking quick results.
WHAT RESULTS TO EXPECT
Results of a facelift do not last forever. You may want to have another procedure in 5-10 years. But in another sense, the effects are permanent because years later, your face will continue to look better than it would if you had never had a facelift.
After your rhytidectomy, Dr. Stephens will wrap the incisions in bandages. He may also place drainage tubes in the area which will be taken out the next day when your hair will be carefully washed. If surgical clips are used to hold the incisions closed, they will be removed one week after the facelift along with your stitches. At first you may experience swelling, numbness, bruising, and a feeling of tightness or tension in the face and neck. Your face may look uneven or distorted, and your facial muscles may feel stiff.
Most of these side effects usually resolve within 3-6 weeks, and sensation typically returns to normal within a few months. Scars become less red, raised, lumpy or itchy over time. Many patients return to work by the third week. Camouflage cosmetics can be used to minimize the appearance of bruising. You should be gentle with your skin and hair as you recover. Men may need to shave behind the neck and ears where areas of beard-growing skin have moved.
AFTER YOUR FACELIFT PROCEDURE
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FACELIFT PROCEDURE
Dr. Stephens will discuss the risks and benefits of a facelift with you before your surgery. Possible complications of facelift include:
- Uneven Swelling or Discoloration
- Allergic reaction to the anesthesia
- Skin blistering (usually only seen in smokers)
- Temporary or permanent loss of sensation in the face
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Bruising
BEFORE & AFTER FACELIFT
FACELIFT FAQ
What type of anesthesia is used?
How long will results last?
The results of a full facelift may last up to 10 years or even longer, depending on your skincare routine and lifestyle.
How long is a facelift surgery?
A facelift generally takes between three and six hours. If you are having other procedures at the same time, such as a fat transfer, it may take longer.
Will there be scars?
Facelift scars are minimal, carefully hidden in the natural folds of your skin around your ears. Some patients may require an additional incision at the chin, which will also be precisely made to minimize scarring.
What other procedures compliment a facelift?
While a facelift can provide significant rejuvenation, it is often complemented by other procedures to achieve comprehensive facial enhancement. Such procedures can include brow lift, neck lift, and eyelid surgery.
