Facial Plastic Surgery - Why is it Performed?

A facelift, which is also known as a rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that allows patients to address issues of aging that are visible to others in the areas of the face and the neck. In general, a facelift is performed in order to reduce or eliminate excess facial fat and also tighten the muscles of the face to provide a look that is smoother and firmer in appearance. While it can be performed to provide a more aesthetically pleasing, rejuvenated and youthful look to the face, there are also medical reasons for facial plastic surgery as well. Let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons why facial plastic surgery is performed.

Medical Conditions that Require Facial Plastic Surgery

Some of the medical conditions that could be diagnosed as needing facial plastic surgery to treat them include a cleft lip, a birthmark or some form of accident or trauma to the face.

Patients that want to have facial plastic surgery, such as a facelift, often have the procedure to improve the appearance of sagging skin or jowls that have developed in the area of the jaw and neck. In addition, they might want to get rid of loose skin and excess fat that causes the appearance of a double chin. Some people also get deep lines that appear near the nose and the corner of the mouth that can be reduced by a facelift.

Facial Plastic Surgery Ideal Candidates

Since a facelift is considered to be an elective procedure, there are many patients that can choose to have this non-medically necessary procedure. Ideal candidates for a facelift include:

• Someone with visible signs of aging that are apparent on either the face and/or the neck
• A person that has a good amount of skin elasticity
• Patients that want to reduce the appearance of skin that is sagging or loose on the face
• Someone that hopes to gain a better definition to the chin or jawline
• A person without a good amount of damage to the skin from the sun

A person that wants to undergo a facelift should not be an active smoker as smoking can slow down the healing process. The person should be in overall good health and not suffer from any conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder. The patient should also be able to tolerate anesthesia as this will likely be used during the surgical procedure.

Facial Plastic Surgery Techniques

Doctors have multiple techniques they can use when performing facial plastic surgery. They include:

• A traditional facelift addresses issues of severe aging on the full face in order to make dramatic improvements. This type of facelift can address signs of aging under the eyes as well as sagging cheeks, excess fat and skin located at the jowls and lines that have formed around the mouth. The surgeon will make an incision that runs along the temple and then goes around the ears and downwards towards the neck of the patient.
• A lower facelift is performed on the bottom third of the face of the patient. Some of the concerns it can address include lifting the corners of the mouth if they are sagging. The incision created by the doctor is made along the hairline and ears of the patient.
• A mid facelift is a surgery that can address the tissues located below the eyes and also around the cheeks. While the incisions made by the doctor are similar to those made during a full facelift, the plastic surgeon goes a little deeper into the tissue in order to lift the muscles that are normally untouched during a full facelift. A patient can also have fat transfer or facial implants at the same time in order to gain a better definition to the cheekbones.
• A mini facelift is when the surgeon makes shorter incisions to address the aging issues with the face. This type of facelift improves the appearance of aging on the lower cheeks, neck and jaw. The necessary incisions are made along the hairline as well as behind the ears to remove excess fat and skin and lift the muscles into a better position for a more youthful and rejuvenated look.

Facial Plastic Surgery Benefits

Besides the obvious physical and aesthetic benefits provided by facial plastic surgery, the results can also give a person an improved self-image and increased self-confidence.

It is important that the doctor set realistic expectations when it comes to the final results. A person that enters into the process thinking they will have results that make them look decades younger will likely be disappointed by their altered appearance.

Before making the final decision to have facial plastic surgery, patients should take the time to voice any concerns they have as well as ask any questions their have in mind about the procedure. An informed and educated patient is one of the best types of patients when it comes to having any type of plastic surgery.

- MA