As the aging process takes over, skin begins to lose its elasticity, resulting in loose, sagging skin of the face, jowls and chin. A face lift plastic surgery improves the lower 1/3 of the face; however, if you add an eyelid surgery and brow lift procedure it will improve the eyes and forehead area.
You can also add to the surgical procedure a plastic surgery neck lift. A neck lift procedure improves drooping skin in the neck region. The facelift plastic surgery, along with the eye lift surgery, brow lift and neck lift will cause a dramatic change in appearance from a saggy, baggy look to a more youthful appearance.
A great alternative to these cosmetic surgery options is to have laser treatments performed. Laser skin resurfacing is a treatment that involves laser beams being utilized to burn the outer layer of facial skin, causing underlying collagen to tighten up.
When the skin’s outer layer grows back, the result will be smoother, tighter-looking skin. Laser treatments can also work to improve the fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, forehead, cheeks, lips and neck regions.
Advantages of laser surgery over face lift cosmetic surgery includes no scarring, no blood loss, no general anesthesia, no cutting and time in an outpatient clinic instead of hospital setting.
On the other hand, for those who need to get rid of large volumes of extra skin, the face lift plastic surgery is necessary.
Costs
The cost of a face lift alone can start at about $6,000. But, if you add in the cost of other procedures, such as the eyelid surgery, brow lift and neck lift, that cost could go up to $25,000 and beyond.
The cost of laser treatments also depends on the size of the treated area and the number of treatments needed to correct the irregularities. The average cost of laser resurfacing is $1,500 to $4,200, depending on which type of laser was utilized.
Risks/Side Effects
Risks and side effects of a face lift plastic surgery include scarring, numbness, nerve damage, anesthesia allergic reactions, infection and bruising.
With laser skin resurfacing, complications are very uncommon, but do occur. These complications include poor healing, pigmentation changes, excessive scarring, infection and allergic reactions to local anesthetics.
Recovery
A full recovery for a face lift plastic surgery cannot be seen until about two to three weeks. During this period, bruising and swelling will dissipate and some activity will again be able to be resumed.
Normal numbness and muscle stiffness will still be present, but complete return of sensation could take several months. Scars will fade after one year.
With laser resurfacing, recovery time will vary amongst patients. Most individuals are back to work within 10 days.
Makeup can hide skin discoloration, but men will have to endure their public appearances. Extended sun exposure should be avoided for up to 6 months.
Results
Facelifts, neck lifts, and laser resurfacing all have long lasting results.