Face Lift
A face lift, or rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure designed to soften visible signs of aging in your face and neck, from sagging skin and deepening fold lines to jowls and a double chin.
What a Face Lift Can Do
A face lift, formally called a rhytidectomy, improves visible signs of aging in the face and neck. Over time, facial skin relaxes and sags, the fold lines between the nose and the corners of the mouth deepen, and facial fat can fall or thin.
Patients choose a face lift to address these changes together in a single procedure, restoring smoother, firmer contours to the face and neck.
Smooths Deep Folds
Softens the fold lines that deepen between the nose and the corners of the mouth.
Restores Facial Contours
Addresses jowls that develop along the cheeks and jaw, plus facial fat that has fallen or diminished.
Refines the Neck
Reduces the loose skin and excess fat of the neck that can appear as a double chin.
How the Procedure Works
Your face lift is performed through incisions hidden in the hairline at the temples. The incisions continue around the ear and end in the lower scalp, keeping them discreet.
Through these incisions, your surgeon separates the skin from the fat and muscle underneath, tightens the underlying muscles, and removes excess fat. The skin is then re-draped over the new contours of your face, and any excess skin is removed.
Smoking and Face Lifts Do Not Mix
Complication rates for face lift patients who smoke are simply too great to risk. Carbon monoxide in a smoker’s body robs tissues of the oxygen they need to heal, and toxins in the blood permeate the tissue, further compromising healing. Smokers also face a higher risk of infection after surgery.
Smoking is detrimental for all surgery patients, but especially for anyone undergoing a rhytidectomy. We want you to get the best result possible, and you cannot achieve the best face lift result if you smoke. If you are considering a face lift and you smoke, it is time to quit.
What Recovery Looks Like
Keep your head elevated for at least the first few days, including while you sleep.
Some swelling and bruising is expected. Both settle gradually over time.
Take it easy for the first week or two. After that, most patients can return to normal activities.
Avoid strenuous activity and exposure to sun and wind for at least six weeks after surgery.