Face Lift Risks and Complications

Risk and Complications of a Face Lift Procedure

The most widely known way to restore beauty and bring back the youthful appearance enjoyed during your 20’s and 30’s is through a facelift. However, just like any other cosmetic procedure, a patient must be aware of face lift risks and complications. Facelift surgery or rhytidectomy is a procedure done to tighten up facial skin and help remove the signs of aging. This is particularly useful for individuals that are showing the first signs of aging such as wrinkles around the mouth.

The most common signs of aging that an individual seeks cosmetic surgery for includes sagging jowls, wrinkles, sagging neck, deep laugh lines and frown lines. For sagging neck skin, the recommended remedy is neck liposuction. In this procedure, fat is removed through a small incision at the chin. For sagging muscle or platysma, no incision is needed.

Even though getting a face lift done offers many benefits, it also carries possible risks and side effects. To minimize the possible risks associated with face lift surgery, it is important that the patient disclose his or her family health background and personal medical history. The first step to ensuring that your operation is completed without any major risks or complications is to hire a highly trained and experienced plastic surgeon with years of experience.

Face Lift Surgery Overview

A day before the actual surgery, surgeons will discuss with the patients about their expectations, the cost of the surgery and the possible risks that they may experience after the operation. During the operation, an anesthesia is first given to the patient to help eliminate the pain and stop sudden movements. Most face lift procedures are performed under general anesthetic however, the surgeon will also advise the patient of what would be the best anesthesia for them based on the invasive style of the process. During a facelift surgery, the face is divided into three sections, the brow and eye area, the cheek, jowl, lip and mouth areas and finally the neck area. Facelift procedure takes almost one to two hours by making small incisions on different part of the face such as cheeks, behind and above the ear and the neck portion. Through these incisions, the surgeon is able to tighten loosen skin tissues and pull the skin back a better position. Other excess fats and removed through procedure called liposuction.

Potential Face Lift Surgery Risks and Complications

In most cases, patients are satisfied with the turn out of the procedure however, it should also be noted that there are some potential cosmetic risk and complications associated with facelifts such as skin pigment changes or skin discoloration. It is normal for a patient to feel nausea after the procedure due to the body’s reaction to anesthesia. Some patients may also develop visible scars in the treated area. This is a result of the skins inability to heal properly. Though this rarely happens, the possibility of getting the incision site affected may also arise. In case this happens, surgeons may prescribe the patient with antibiotics to help cure the infection.

Other possible risks associated with face lift surgery are bleeding, numbness, damage to the facial nerve and necrosis of the skin flap. A nerve injury is when the nerves that control the facial tissues are injured during the procedure. The patient may feel numbness within the face or involuntary muscle movement if nerve injury happens.

Bleeding is often referred to as hematomia or the condition where the blood clot collects under the skin. This can cause a sufficient amount of pain to the patient. Proper medications and precautionary measures may be prescribed and advised by the surgeon in order to speed up the healing process.

Most of the complications that may arise after a facelift surgery are temporary. The most unwanted risk that a patient can possible experience is facial asymmetry. This is when the results between the two sides of the face are different from each other causing major dissatisfaction for the patient. Also, smoking after surgery can reduce healing time and increases potential of risks. Taking the proper precautions advised by the surgeon will help the patient avoid the complications of facelift surgery.

Face Lift Recovery Period

The healing period may vary depending on the complexity of the procedure. A less extensive face lift procedure such as a vertical short incision may reduce the regular recovery period compared to a full face lift surgery. During the first few days, a patient may experience swelling. Proper medications such as ibuprofen may be prescribed by the surgeon to help reduce the swelling . Taking the proper precautions will speed up the recovery process. During the healing period, most especially on the first few days or weeks, incision sites must be dry and stationary to avoid any complications to arise. The stitches will be removed after 10 days and eventually life will start getting back to normal after several weeks. Patients will start to see the initial results of the surgery after about 4 to 6 weeks.

Taking the Proper Precautions for Face Lift Surgery

After your facelift, it is very important to take precautionary measures for the maximum amount of time possible. Make sure to limit actions like stretching, bending, walking and running during the first few weeks after surgery. It is very important to follow strictly the doctor’s advice to ensure full and safe recovery and avoid any further facelift surgery complications.

Though there are several possible face lift risks and complications, the emergence of cosmetic surgical procedures have helped individuals reduce the signs of aging and look young again. Facial rejuvenation, mid facelift, mini facelift, chinlift, endoscopic eyebrow lift, nose lifts or even just nip and tuck or botox.