Facelift WA
A softer, more youthful appearance, without changing your features.
Dr. Patrick Briggs has been performing facelift surgery for over 20 years. Are you looking for a facelift in WA? Contact Dr. Briggs today!
A Tried and Trusted Procedure.
Our faces age for many reasons. Heredity plays a role, as does gravity, which tends to pull soft facial tissues downward. In time our cheeks begin to sag, the crease running from the nostrils to the sides of the mouth is accentuated, and our jaw line and chin lose their smooth, refined appearance. As we age we also tend to lose some of our facial fat and our skin loses some of its elasticity, leading to more sagging!
Exposure to ultraviolet light plays a role as well. Indeed, people who live in tropical climates, where the sun is strongest, often have prematurely aged skin, irrespective of their ethnic characteristics. In these areas, people may seek facelifts in their forties or even younger.
First described over 60 years ago, facelifts smooth and redefine the contour of the neck and jaw line to create a younger, more vital appearance.
It is important, however, to remember that while a facelift can help refresh your appearance it will not erase permanent creases, particularly around your lips. Additional procedures like dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, I.P.L. (intense pulsed light) and chemical peels can improve those lines and can be performed in conjunction with your facelift.
Your Consultation: Talking It Through.
When you meet with your surgeon, you'll have an opportunity to share your feelings about the results you want to achieve, learn about what will happen during your surgery and help design a procedure that meets your individual needs. It is often helpful to bring a photograph of yourself from the time when you thought you looked your best.
- Your surgeon will take a medical history and ask about any previous facial surgery.
- Your surgeon will gently lift your facial skin to assess what you might be able to expect after your surgery.
- He will also explain some of the other effects of surgery, like the fact that the position of your hair in front of your ear may be elevated and that, in men, the beard may be advance under and behind the ear requiring shaving in that area.
- You'll discuss the extent and position of scars you can expect.
Your Operation: What To Expect.
Before your surgery you will receive advice about what to do and what to avoid. For example, if you routinely color or perm your hair it's wise to have it done immediately before your procedure so it will be some weeks before you need to have it done again.
In most cases your facelift will be done under general anaesthetic and you will spend the night after in hospital. More limited procedures can be carried out under a local anaesthetic and sedation, but for a full facelift there is no real benefit from sedation.
Once you are comfortably asleep, the surgeon will make an incision that starts high in the temple area (hidden by the hair at this point) and courses down following the curves in front of the top and bottom of the ear and behind the middle part (tragus). The incision then continues round the earlobe and up behind the ear before curving gently back into the hair. In some cases a second incision in made under the chin where it will also be well hidden. Its purpose is to assist with definition of the chin and neck.
Using these incisions on both sides of the face, the skin and deep tissues are remodeled and redraped. The incisions are then closed with stitches in front of the ear and metal clips in the hair.
Small drainage tubes are inserted under the skin during the operation. These are often removed at the practice, several days after your surgery, so that bruising and swelling around the face and neck are minimal, and return to work and social activities is accelerated. Some surgeons also apply a light bandage around your head at the end of the surgery.
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