Facelift

Non-surgical aesthetic applications have developed exponentially. With Botox, filler applications, radiofrequency, and laser-powered devices, it has become extremely easy to rejuvenate our skin and cope with wrinkles.

However, especially after 50 years of age, we encounter sags and severe wrinkles with which these methods are not sufficient. If you do not want to experience such a situation that makes you look older instead of a younger face, facelift surgery will be the best solution for you.

How do our faces age?

In the aging process, three fundamental changes occur in the face:

Tissues begin to sag due to loss of carrying and suspension, decrease of elasticity, and reduced resistance of collagen fibers. With this effect, existing tear troughs, and hollows become apparent, and skin loosens. Eyebrows and eyelids sag, and a new hollow is formed on the periorbital area. The cheeks hang and a deep canal also emerges between the lips and cheeks(nasolabial fold). The corners of the mouth turn downward, the skin of the neck hangs and neck bands are formed.

Soft tissues weaken and decrease. This reduces the fullness of the cheek, the eye socket becomes prominent, and the eyes become smaller, the skin becomes thinner. Not only soft tissues but facial bones also weaken. Thus, the face, which is oval in youth, becomes rectangular over time.

Skin quality deteriorates. Fine cracks, spottings, and mimic lines occur on the skin.

Factors such as irregular life, smoking, a stressed personality, excessive sun exposure, and insufficient fluid intake may increase the effects of aging.

When is facelift surgery necessary?

Facelift is the best solution in cases where aging effects on the face are too advanced to be recovered by non-surgical applications such as Botox, fillings, thread lift, radiofrequency, or laser.

Also, a facelift is more effective and long-lasting than any other medical aesthetic application. Of course, fillings, Botox, and similar short-term applications have certain positive effects.

However, any process performed in 15-20 minutes should not be expected to eliminate the aging effects of years.

The effects of short-term, rapid applications will also be short-term and less.

We see people who are constantly having fillings on their faces despite the need for a facelift and who have to resort to filling again to improve the reduced skin thickness due to repeated device applications. To form the face ovality, repeatedly filling the cheekbone area without restoring the face reveals unpleasant images.

Therefore, if people in need want to get an aesthetic and pleasant image, they can apply for a facelift without hesitation. The goal here is not to get a swollen and stagy look but to get a younger, fresher, healthier, and tighter face. It is about bringing you back to your younger self without changing you.

To achieve this, the sagged tissues are moved back to where they should be and fixed there.

Remember: You cannot get a younger look by filling a sagged face.

How is a facelift performed?

The muscular layer of the face (SMAS) is found by entering an incision made through the front and back of the ear. The sagging in this layer is corrected according to the person’s needs. When required, the surplus is removed or folded onto itself and relocated. Then, it is sutured tightly. If necessary, the neck is also intervened to correct its sagging. Finally, the excess skin is removed, and the facial skin is easily fixed without creating tension.

Before facelift surgery

Blood thinners like aspirin, vitamin E, and various vitamin complexes should be discontinued one week before surgery. Please be sure to inform your doctor about the medications you use. Herbal teas and other food supplements should also be discontinued 1 week in advance.

Smoking should also be quit before surgery, if possible, 3 weeks in advance.

You cannot have your hair dyed for about 1 month, so it can be dyed a week before surgery. Besides, having your hair long will be an advantage to hide the post-surgery dressings.

The anesthesia method in facelift surgery

We perform facelift surgery in the operating room environment and mostly under general anesthesia in terms of patient comfort.

How long does a facelift take?

Although duration varies according to the procedure to be performed, it takes 3-5 hours on average.

Additional interventions, such as the eyelids and eyebrows or fat injection to the face, will extend the time.

After facelift surgery

A hospital stay of at least one night after the procedure is necessary for comfort and safety. Painkillers are applied because a large area is intervened. Usually, the next morning the drain is removed, and the person is sent home. It is recommended to rest for 5-7 days. Showers can be taken after 2-3 days. Stitches, if any, will be taken out on the 7th day.

It is normal to have facial swelling and slight bruising due to the operation. These effects begin to recede after day 7. It may take up to 3 months for the face to settle entirely and take its final shape.

What other operations can be combined with a facelift?

According to the needs of the person, satisfying results can be achieved by adding procedures such as forehead stretching, eyelid aesthetics, face fat injection, neck band correction, face, and neck liposuction, and chemical or laser peeling.

With the change in the aesthetic approach of the face in recent years, fat injection during facelift has been applied very often. Because with aging, the face not only sags but also loses volume. Therefore, it is now almost routine to add volume to the stretched areas with fat filling from a 3-dimensional perspective.

Laser or chemical exfoliation of the skin is a procedure I frequently perform during a facelift. During the facelift, the deep layers of the face are stretched and hung, and excess skin is removed. However, these procedures do not change skin quality and brightness. While the patient is already asleep in the operating room, laser peeling along with the facelift process improves the quality of the skin, improves fines, and wrinkles, and provides a better result. The two processes potentiate each other's effectiveness as well and the skin-peeling process is performed painlessly.

Is the facelift performed identical for everyone?

Everyone's skin, body, genetic structure, and lifestyle are different. Therefore, according to the expectations and needs of the person, appropriate operations are selected and applied such as full facelift, middle or lower facelift, endoscopic facelift, and forehead stretching. Also, as mentioned before, more satisfying results can be ensured with additional interventions just as eyelid lifting, fat or filler injections, chemical or laser peeling, and dermabrasion.

Types of Facial Plastic Surgery

There are different types of facial aesthetics that can be applied depending on the type of problem experienced.