Face lift

Face lift surgery is beneficial to men and women who are experiencing sagging of the face due to the ageing process. Normally surgical face lift is performed on clients aged from around 40 years and up to around 70 years. Our cooperating clinic has the age limit of 60 years of age due to general anaesthetic. Face lift surgery is performed under general anaesthetic and takes between 2 and 5 hours depending on the type and extent of the procedure undertaken.

It will be necessary to stay overnight at the clinic for 2 nights and this is included in the price of your cosmetic surgery price.

TYPES OF FACELIFTS

1. Standard Facelift – classical full Face lift with SMAS technique.
2. Mini Facelift – usually advised for younger clients who need only a little correction along the jaw line or cheek or for clients who have had a standard facelift but now their skin needs to be tightened again due to the sagginess. The incisions and also the recovery are shorter. This type of facelift has limited results.
3. S-lift – is a variant of the mini-lift. The incision is made above the ear, coming down to the earlobe and continuing behind the ear. This facelifts are recommended for clients with minor facial and neck skin sagginess.
4. Midface lift – advised for clients who have lost the youthful fullness of their cheeks due to ageing. With this technique the plastic surgeon is able to improve the area from the cheekbone down to the upper lip. The incision is placed in the temporal hairline. A secondary benefit of this procedure may be some decrease in the depth of the nasolabial folds (the creases coming from the side of the nose to the corners of the mouth).
5. Thread Lift APTOS – non-invasive facial procedure, non surgical face lift, which uses placing barbed sutures through the skin of the cheeks. It might be useful in a small correction, but it will never replace traditional surgical facelifts. This non surgical facelift brings only limited effect and length of effect. Frequently, the clients are disappointed by not getting the result they expected. This nonsurgical face lift is not performed by our Prague plastic surgeons.

IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING A FACE LIFT SURGERY…

As people age, the effects of gravity, exposure to the sun and the stresses of daily life can be seen in their faces. Deep wrinkles form between the nose and mouth; the jaw line grows slack and jowly; folds and fat deposits appear around the neck.

A facelift (technically known as rhytidectomy) can’t stop this ageing process. What it can do is „set back the clock,“ improving the most visible signs of ageing by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping the skin of your face and neck. A facelift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a neck lift, forehead lift, brow lift, under chin liposuction, or upper and lower eyelid surgery.

THE BEST CANDIDATES FOR A FACE LIFT SURGERY

The best candidate for a facelift surgery is a man or woman whose face and neck have begun to sag, but whose skin still has some elasticity and whose bone structure is strong and well-defined. Most patients are in their forties to sixties, but facelifts can be done successfully on people in their seventies or eighties as well.

Facelift can make you look younger and fresher, and it may enhance your self- confidence in the process. But it can’t give you a totally different look, nor can it restore the health and vitality of your youth. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your Prague face lift plastic surgeon.

PREPARATION FOR FACE LIFT SURGERY

You should come to the face lift operation without make-up. Pharmaceuticals containing acetylsalicylic acid (Acylpirin, Aspirin, and Anopyrin etc.) should not be used for 3 weeks before the Face Lift cosmetic surgery, as they decrease the clotting time of blood. If case you have short hair we advise you to grow it longer, so you will be able to hide the scars during recovery time.

If you are a smoker you are advised to stop smoking or at least to cut down on cigarettes. Smoking slows down the facelift recovery process and it can also increase the risk of complications.

FACELIFT OPERATION

Facelift operation can last several hours and is performed with a combination of general (intravenous) anaesthesia and local anaesthesia (a so called neurolepanaes­thesia). Incisions are made between two and four inches above the ear and then around the front of the ear, around the earlobe into the crease behind the ear, and into or along the hairline behind the ear. In this way, any scarring will be invisible, as it will be “hidden” within the hair and behind the ears.

Facelift scars take 9 to 18 months to fully mature, gradually they became smoother and the color will change from purple to pink and whitish. After making the incisions the face lift plastic surgeon lifts and separates the fat and skin from the underlying muscles. The surgeon has to lift enough to ensure that when the skin is tightened all creases and folds are minimised. The skin of the neck will be lifted almost down to the collarbone and across your entire neck. After all the skin dissection is done, the surgeon also tightens the next deeper layer in a procedure known as submusculoapo­neurotic system (SMAS).

The SMAS makes the facelifts last longer than facelifts that lift only the skin and keeps the smooth neck from disappearing as quickly. Next, the excess skin is trimmed and the incisions closed. The plastic surgeon will introduce a little drainage under the skin on each side to evacuate the blood and fluid. Finally the face lift plastic surgeon will apply helmet-type dressing, which will stay on for 3–4 days. The drainage is removed on the second day after the face lift surgery.

POST-OPERATIONAL COURSE – FACE LIFT SURGERY

During the first few days after the face lift operation, it is necessary to sleep strictly on your back so as to prevent swelling on one side or, as the case may be, larger post-operational bruises. Your hair can be washed gently 5 days after the operation.

The speed of the healing is individual. Face lift plastic surgeon”:/plastic-surgeons-and-medical-staff/ uses different type of stitches, which are gradually removed on the 5th, 10th and 21st day after the operation. Swellings and bruises clear up over 14 days.

After the face lift surgery places with decreased sensitivity can occur on the skin of the face, and even the pinnae, which will, however, regenerate within a few weeks or months. If the operation is performed with the under chin liposuction then either a plaster cast or a special bandage will be necessary in the post-operational period. A bandage, which has been designed specially for this type of operation, can be purchased at our clinic.

Weight reduction is recommended before face lift surgery itself, not after the operation. Hair should not be too short. After a few days, the bandages are removed, and after two weeks you can go back to your everyday activities. You should avoid prolonged exposure to the sun for at least 3 months after treatment.

HOW WILL I FEEL AFTER THE FACE LIFT SURGERY?

You will probably feel tired, sleepy and suffer from pain particularly in 1–3 days after the face lift surgery. You will be given some painkillers and tablets for reducing the swelling. Your Prague Face lift plastic surgeon might also prescribe antibiotics as a prevention against any potential infection.

You might also feel unhappy after a few days. This is normal and is caused due to the stress, general anaesthetic, lack of patience with the healing problems, more pain than you expected or the fact that because you have undergone face lift cosmetic surgery abroad you miss your home and family.

Some clients suffer from constipation. We advise you to bring some gentle medication or you can buy it in Prague.

IS THE FACE LIFT RECOVERY PAINFUL?

Many of our clients report they did not suffer major pain, however, as there is likely to be some pain the Prague Face lift plastic surgeon will prescribe painkillers before you leave the clinic.

You will probably feel discomfort, swelling, heaviness, and numbness in the areas where face lift surgery was performed.

POSSIBLE RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS – FACE LIFT SURGERY

The specific risks and the suitability of a face lift surgery for a given individual can be determined only at the time of consultation. All surgical procedures have some degree of risk. Minor complications that do not affect the outcome occur occasionally. Major complications are rare.

WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU TO PRAGUE?

• Cotton buds
• Scarf – to cover your head, when going out
• Sunglasses – in case you are having eyelids cosmetic surgery as well
• Mild Hair Products (children’s sham­poo, JOHNSON etc.)
• Mouthwash – it will be days until a toothbrush can fit into your mouth after the surgery
• Clothes that do not need to be pulled over your head. Cardigans or blouses/shirts that have front fastening buttons or zips are the best.
• Jackets and jumpers with a hood, so you can put the hood up when appearing in public during recovery

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Page last reviewed by Tamara Ždiňáková on December 10, 2023.