Facelift

This is something that cannot be decided upon without a proper discussion of your concerns and the possible treatment options and the alternatives. I sit with you and first listen carefully to your concern while we look at you in a mirror. I explain what I see is causing these changes (the diagnosis) and then plan the treatment. Your budget may also play a role, but it is best not to consider this until after we have a full understanding of the problem and the best treatments.

We are often asked how long the benefits from surgery will last. A well-done facelift with eyelids and forehead, either at one session or spaced in intervals, will often be the only one done for many years, often the only such surgery in a person’s life. Surgery does not make the face freeze at an age, nor are there sudden losses of the effect such that it suddenly becomes time to do it again.

The common way we describe the longevity of the surgery is that it sets the clock of aging back; the clock continues to run thereafter.

The following 50-year-old patient returned to our clinic for a visit nearly six years after her facelift, endobrow lift, upper and lower eyelid-plasty and lip augmentation. She was certain she needed nothing further done for her face.

My incision approach is based on what will give the most natural result and minimize scarring.

While inconspicuous incisions are very important to the success of the operation, the length of the incision plays little role in whether they are ultimately as invisible as possible.

Important influences on scarring are:

• Scar location
• Tension on skin
• Hair pattern and re-growth
• How you heal as an individual
• Gentleness of handling during surgery

I keep my facelift patients overnight. A facelift is an intimidating operation for a non-medical person to care for, and it is my impression patients and their caregiver have a much easier time if they are given information slowly in the first night and morning so they are ready when they go home.

Spending a night in the clinic is never seen as a waste. You are in expert hands with professional experienced nurses and this enhances the recovery The nurses give post-op teaching and I see my patient the morning after surgery.

Most patients are back to work in two weeks. By then there is usually little or no bruising. Often returning to work is even faster. We begin exercise with walking early and progress rapidly during the time from two to six weeks.

Scars heal (mature) according to a schedule individual to each person, but generally look their worst between 4 and 6 weeks after surgery, stabilize, and then begin to soften and fade, a process that takes from six to eighteen months.

The price of a facelift surgery procedure varies based on the surgical technique used and whether it is performed along with other cosmetic surgery procedures.

It is best to discuss your options with a private consultation at our Vancouver clinic. You will be provided with a personalized quote as a part of the patient consultation process and we also provide you with different financing options.

Environmental damage – sun, wind and cold, smoking – all ravage the skin. Exposure to these factors will cause fine lines criss-crossing the areas damaged, thinning of the skin, loose, inelastic skin, “age spots” and other features, even when the damage was early in life.

A facelift does not directly address any of these issues although it may make them less apparent because the underlying architecture is so improved. But if you have these concerns, you should discuss possible treatments with your surgeon who may refer you for dermatological care. Laser resurfacing and other such treatments are often the recommended treatments.