Looks play a very important role in our society; beauty is not only admired but revered. Old age is no longer a hindrance to being beautiful and attractive.
What is a modern solution to an age old problem? Facelift surgery, or rhytidectomy, is a specialized type of cosmetic surgery which literally means the surgical removal of wrinkles. By correcting the signs of aging, it brings back youthfulness to your face, which is the first to reveal the marks of growing old.
Why have a Facelift
Skin which covers our body is supported by fat layers, muscles and connective tissues. Wrinkling due to aging and sun damage are the most unsightly signs of deterioration.
For some individuals, the wear and tear of old age can result in a dignified aura, the rest of us would prefer to don the blush of youth instead.
The ravages of time on your looks can be slowed down or reversed, thanks to facelift surgery. Wrinkles and sagging skin is now a snip and tuck away!
Looking 70 when you’re only 50 isn’t fair, work stress, too much sun exposure and genetics may contribute to your droopy folds but can now be rectified.
While not medically necessary, facelift surgery can adjust or enhance the facial features to suit our preferences, improve looks, and thus, increase self esteem. Having a high level of self esteem is important to break psychological barriers and helps in achieving success or improving relationships. Looking good is generally synonymous with feeling good.
The Surgery
The technique for facelift surgery has continuously evolved to achieve a more natural lifted appearance of the skin and increased safety profile of the procedure. Depending on the extent of area and length of the plastic surgery, local or general anesthesia has to be administered.
The facelift surgery involves making incisions in front of and behind the ears, which can extend into the scalp. After incisions are done, the skin is separated from deeper tissues, tightening the deeper issues by suturing. The skin will be re-draped and excess skin will be removed or repositioned. Closing will be done with sutures and staples.
Since it is a surgical procedure, healing will take place for several weeks and limitation of activities is inevitable to avoid complications. During recovery period, pain relievers will be prescribed and intermittent application of ice packs will be helpful.
Swelling will be marked for the first 24 to 48 hours, while bruising will resolve in 2 weeks. After the dressings are removed, you may observe puffiness and discolorations that are more pronounced in some parts of the face. The asymmetry is normal and will diminish in a few days or weeks. Most stitches are due for removal after a week from the facelift surgery.
What does it cost?
The national average price of a facelift surgery is $6000. The cost of having facelift surgery depends on how extensive you want to change. Key considerations include the fee of the plastic surgeon and his team, of course the more renowned the more expensive, you can choose a more affordable surgeon, but do you want to risk it?
An experienced plastic or facelift surgeon usually has better rates of success due to their extensive knowledge and repertoire of techniques.
Where you have the facelift surgery is another major cost consideration. Having it done in a first world country with access to a fully equipped hospital and modern surgical facilities may cost you a pretty penny, but the risk is lower and the chances of success greater.
Some opt to have it done cheaper in other countries while taking a “vacation” at the same time. This option depends on the available facilities and technology may be cheaper, but not necessarily safer.
Then the cost in terms of time, recuperation time, some facelift surgery procedures take weeks to properly heal, keeping you away from your work, and may require you to wear unsightly bandages and dressings, thus a need to take a “vacation”.
Issue of privacy may encourage those who don’t want their procedure to be known to the public to isolate themselves emerging later sporting their new appearance as if nothing happened.
Concerns
The constantly improving surgical techniques and developments in pharmacological science, greatly lead to the overall reduction of risk involved in facelift surgery, but there are still risks nonetheless, because each individual is unique.
Facelifts, being a surgical procedure no matter how minor, exposes the patient to drugs, chemicals and controlled injury. The risk of an allergic reaction or unforeseen incident during the facelift surgery may leave the patient unsatisfied with the experience or result.
The plastic surgeon and staff may be very competent and facilities top notch, but something can still go wrong.
Modern computer technology allows the manipulation of your appearance with out doing any actual surgery to simulate the final result. This is usually done in the initial stages in consultation with your plastic surgeon.
The end result however may vary due to the actual facelift surgery or reaction of your body. Then again you can always undergo another procedure if you don’t like the results of the first one.