Facelift

Facelift

Non-surgical aesthetic applications have developed much more today. With Botox, filler applications, radiofrequency and laser-powered devices, it has become very easy to rejuvenate our skin and to 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 don't want to experience such a situation which makes you look older instead of a younger face, facelift surgery will be the best solution for you.

How our face ages?

In the aging process, 3 fundamental changes occur in the face:

  1. 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 trough and hollows become apparent, skin loosens. Eyebrows and eyelids sag, 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Skin quality deteriorates. Fine cracks, spottings and mimic lines occur on the skin.

Factors such as irregular life, smoking, stressed personality, excessive sun exposure, 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, 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 face despite the need for a face lift 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 really 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, more fresh, healthy and tight face. It's 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 can't get a younger look by filling a sagged face.

How is facelift performed?

The muscular layer of the face (SMAS) is found by entering an incision made through 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 quitted before surgery, if possible, 3 weeks in advance.

You can’t 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.

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 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 day. Stitches, if any,  will be taken out on the 7th day.

It is normal to have facial swelling and slight bruising due to operation. These effects begin to recede after the 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 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 bands correction, face and neck liposuction, 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 facelift. During the facelift, the deep layers of the face are streched 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 and improves fine wrinkles and provides a better result. The two processes potentiate each other's effectiveness as well as the skin peeling process is performed painless.

Is 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, forehead stretching. Also, as mentioned before, more satisfying results can be ensured with additional interventions just like the eyelid lifting, fat or filler injections, chemical or laser peeling and dermabrasion.

Questions from you about facelift & facial aesthetics

Will I have scars from a facelift?

A scar-free surgical operation is impossible, but aesthetic surgeons have special methods to hide the scars of surgery because the job is beauty.

After the facelift, the scars are minimized with specific suture and dressing materials. The scars are usually invisible as they will remain in the hairline.

The scar around the ear will be unnoticable either, since it will be hidden in the fold of the ear.

What is mini facelift?

Mini facelift is the procedure where the stretching level is less by applying surgical incision just in front of the ear.

The aim of mini facelift is to reduce the scarring and accelerate the healing process with a smaller surgery. For sure, this application is suitable for patients without excessive skin abundance in the chin area because the stretching will be less.

Will my face sag again after a facelift?

No surgical operation can stop aging. The clock will continue to work even if we set it back. Therefore, the tension you get with facelift surgery is not lifelong. With age progression, slight sagging may occur again in the body. Fortunately, facelift surgery will make you look younger for years than you actually are.

What is endoscopic face lift?

  •  It is a face lift operation in which the sagging structures on the face are relocated and fixed to their proper places by endoscopic (closed) method.
  • The procedure begins with a small incision on the hair bearing area. The entire forehead and face are lifted and fixed with the help of special instruments.
  • In addition, with another small incision, the fat pad inside the mouth (Bichad’s fat pad) is removed or relocated.
  • Facial rejuvenation is possible without making any long incision in the front or back of the ear in endoscopic face lift.

Who can have an endoscopic face lift?

  • In the past years, people who were older, had loosened skin and had excessively sagged face were considered as candidates for face lift.
  • However, at a younger age today, people who have lost the oval contour of their face are considered candidates for an endoscopic face lift, even though they do not have excess skin or sagging skin.
  • People who look tired and older than they are with the structures that should be higher on the face go down, with the deep under-eye pits benefit from endoscopic face lift. Endoscopic face lift can be performed  even in patients in their twenties.