Facelift in Baton Rouge

What is a Face Lift or Rhytidectomy?

The effects of time, stress, and sun damage causes visible signs of aging. This is due to theloss of elasticity and tone not only of the skin but also of the deeper tissues of the face and neck. The most visible signs of aging is the general sagging and lax appearance of the face and neck. There is often a loss of previous definition of the facial bones.

This aging is characterized by:

• Loss of fullness of the upper cheeks and mid face
• Developing increasingly deep creases along the nose extending to the corner of the mouth
• Loss of a well defined jaw line and the development of jowls of the lower cheeks
• Downward creases or lines of the lateral mouth creating a sad appearance to the mouth
• Skin and soft tissue laxity of the neck often with fullness or adiposity beneath the chincreating a double chin appearance
• Vertical bands of the neck that begin just below the chin and extend to the lower neck

A Face and Neck Lift is a surgical procedure to improve these above visible signs of aging.

What a Face Lift Will Not Improve

The Face Lift procedure is primarily limited to rejuvenation of the face. Although there will be improvement of the jowls and the jaw line, it will not improve the "double chin" of the neck or prominent vertical neck bands. A Neck Lift will be necessary to improve these areas andis often done in conjunction with the Face Lift.

Vertical lining of the lips most often noted in the upper lip will not be changed. This may be improved with a chemical peel or laser treatment that may be done at the time of the Face Lift.

Other procedures such as improvement of the forehead with a Brow Lift and improvement of excess skin, laxity and bagginess of the eyelids with a Blepharoplasty may also be combined with a Face Lift.

Dr. Williams will take time to fully explore and explain these option with you so that you will obtain your desired goals.

How is a Face Lift Performed

Facelifts today are tailored to the patient's degree of facial aging and the patient's aesthetic goals. The newer Face Lift procedures elevate and tighten the deeper tissue of the face and neck, with repositioning of the tissue to where it was in youth. The skin is re-draped without pulling or tension to give a more lasting and natural result. Facelifts today aim at preventing the unnatural pulled back "windblown" appearance.

The Incision

For most Face Lifts today a "short scar"incision is used.A S- shapedincision is limited to the lower temple area and junction of the cheek and front of the ear. The incision of the cheek and ear may be partially hidden by placing this incision behind the tragus. The tragus is the prominence just in front of the ear canal formed by cartilage.

If a full Neck Lift is to be done then the incision extends around the back of the ear and often into the scalp behind the ear.For Neck Lifts an incisions is also often made just beneath the chin

Types of Face Lifts

SMAS Facelift

This is short scar or limited incision Mini Face Lift. It is designed for those who have only a small amount of sagging. The deep tissue of the face referred to as the SMAS (superficialmusculoapponeurotic system) is elevated and suspended with sutures. The excess skinis removed and re-draped.

MACS Face Lift

This is a short scar full face lift. It is an extension or modification of the SMAS Facelift. It is for those who have most or all of the signs of facial aging.In this procedure the deep tissueie.the SMAS is suspended and sutured to the cheek bones of the mid face. This tissue that has fallen is lifted and re-positioned where it was in youth. This results in a more youthful fullness to the upper mid face and cheekbone area, a correction or the prominence of the nasal cheek crease lines, correction of jowling and an improved jaw-neck line.

Neck Lift

As aging occurs skin laxity and vertical neck bands often become increasingly prominent in the anterior neck. These bands are the result of laxity and separation of the Platyma muscles of the neck. A Neck Lift or Plastysmaplastycorrect this by suturing the separated muscle beneath the chin and releasing and re-suspending the muscle to give a tighter and more defined neck appearance. If needed this procedure is often done in conjunction with the MACS Face Lift.

What is the Recovery?

To ensure an uneventful recovery following Face Lift Surgery, Dr Williams will provide you with detailed post operative instructions.These will be discussed and given to you and your care giver.

Face Lift surgery is generally not extremely painful, although pain medication is prescribed.

Initially a soft cotton dressing is usually placed around your face and neck. If a Neck Lift is performed with the Face Lift a drainage tube is placed to drain blood or fluid that may collect beneath the skin.This will be removed once the drainage has stopped.

The day after surgery you may shower and gently wash the hair face and neck with a surgical skin cleanser. Ice compresses are applied until the swelling has resolved.

Immediately after surgery, because of swelling and bruising, you may not recognize the improvement that you have sought. It may take several day or weeks for swelling or bruising to resolve. Recovery time from a Face Lift is dependant upon eachindividual and the complexity of the Face Lift procedure.