Facelift Plastic Surgery Procedure Steps

By Gary Motykie, MD

Facelift Plastic Surgery Procedure Steps | Beverly Hills | Los Angeles

A facelift is a time-tested and popular plastic surgery procedure designed to take several years off the patient’s face and restore a youthful facial appearance. At the time of pre-op consultation, the surgeon will discuss various steps involved in the facelift procedure and help the patient make an informed decision.

Once the patient has a fabulous understand of the facelift surgery procedure, their anxiety levels will lower and they will be better prepared for the surgery. Dr. Gary Motykie is an experienced cosmetic surgeon providing facelift and various other procedures to patients in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, and surrounding locations.

Anesthesia

As a first step in facelift plastic surgery, the patient will be placed under general or local anesthesia. The surgeon will make the appropriate recommendation for the type of anesthesia after considering various factors. Prior to general anesthesia, the patient’s medical history and current health condition will be carefully evaluated.

The anesthesiologist may remain present throughout the facelift surgery procedure to monitor the patient’s condition. Local anesthesia with IV sedation may be used in certain cases, particularly where less invasive or partial facelift is to be performed.

Creating the Incisions

The procedure will begin with the surgeon creating incisions in discreet locations to keep the potential scars inconspicuous. However, the effectiveness of the surgery will not be compromised due to incision size and location. Incisions above the hairline are commonly used to hide the scars.

In some cases, the incisions will be located in the natural facial creases to keep the subsequent scars discreet. Incision size may slightly vary according to the surgical technique applied and the extent of skin and fat removal involved.

Skin and Muscle Tightening

The cosmetic surgeon will lift the facial skin from the underlying tissue through the incisions. Excess fat pockets will be removed, excess skin will be trimmed away, and underlying weak muscles will be tightened to lift facial contours. Once the procedure is over, the surgeon will re-drape the skin with stitches or staples.

The incision area will then be wrapped with a bandage. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Motykie receives patients from Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, and nearby areas for facelift surgery.

Combining with Other Surgeries

The surgeon may sometimes perform facelift in conjunction with other procedures such as neck lift, neck liposuction, facial liposuction, chin lift, rhinoplasty, or upper face procedures such as forehead lift or an eyelid lift surgery.

The advantage with combined procedures is that the overall surgery becomes less invasive, more cost-effective, and produces more natural looking and comprehensive results. The procedure will involve additional steps in case of combined surgery, but it can be performed at one time and will subject the patient to anesthesia, surgery, and recovery only once.

Observation

After the completion of facelift surgery, the patient will be moved to a recovery area for observation. The trained medical staff will keep checking the patient’s vital signs and allow them to recover from the immediate effects of the surgery and anesthesia. Most patients will be able to return home the same day of surgery.

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