Facelift (rhytidectomy)
The cervico-facial facelift corrects sagging of the facial tissues (cheekbone area, cheeks and jowls and restores the chinline.
	The basic stages of the facelift are
	There is no such thing as a standard facelift
	The ideal moment...
	Strategy
	Results
	Conclusion

The basic stages of the facelift

Restoring tension to the underlying muscular planes
- In the neck, to redefine the angle between neck and chin,
- In the cheek, to reduce the nasogenian furrow from nose to mouth and also to erase the jowls.

Redraping excess skin
Which can be done with no tension, guaranteeing a natural result and discreet scars.

Liposuction of the jowls and double chin, giving better definition to the neck and chinline
The scars are hidden in the hair while respecting its implantation and following the contour of the ear.

There is no such thing as a standard facelift

Every face can benefit from a suitably customised treatment, which may be:

Total
treating the upper, middle and lower parts of the face.

Partial
in the case of a young woman wishing too correct sagging of the cheekbone area and the cheeks or to tighten a sagging neck.

Or in association with
- eyelid surgery,
- forehead lift to correct drooping eyebrows and vertical and horizontal forehead lines and to lighten the upper third of the face,
- smoothing of the skin with laser to improve its quality and correct lines around the mouth or crows' feet.

Thanks to the association of these techniques (laser and wrinkle-filling injections), treatment can be simpler and more natural.

The ideal moment...

As soon as the patient feels ready. There is no standard age because slackening of the tissues varies from one person to another and depends on skin quality (hereditary), as well as impregnation by tobacco and exposure to the sun, both factors that speed up ageing of the skin, and substantial weight variations, which also accentuate slackening.

The most spectacular results - and the most natural - are obtained with young patients because their expressions are softer and the tissues respond better to surgery.

Strategy

A preoperative analysis and a consultation with the anaesthetist.

Mild anaesthesia
Neuroleptic analgesia.

Duration
Two hours on average.

Hospitalisation
24 hours.

After surgery
- No pain but a feeling of tension in the face and neck,
- A few bruises and swelling of the face, both receding within eight or ten days,
- The scars are hidden in the hair (which is not shaved) and follow the outline of the ear. The stitches are often resorbable, but some are removed after eight days, during the postoperative consultation.
- There is also a temporary loss of sensitivity in the cheeks.

Medicament
Painkillers if needed, ointments to speed up the resorption of the bruises and to moisturise the scars. The hair is washed the day after surgery.

Results

The day after surgery the face is swollen and bruised; these effects recede in about two weeks. On the 15th day the patient is able to lead a normal life wearing light makeup. The natural expression appears after two months when the face regains its suppleness.

The expected effect is that of a softened and rested face with a healthy complexion.

This effect lasts between seven and ten years, depending on a healthy lifestyle (avoiding smoking and exposure to the sun).

Conclusion

The facelift is still one of the most spectacular operations in the cosmetic surgery canon, thanks to the use of modern techniques: tightening of the muscles liposuction of the face and the complementary use of laser surgery give more precise and more natural results that are better suited to the patient and normal life may be resumed more quickly.