Facelift: The Basics
The human face is structured with layers of bone, muscle, fat and skin and throughout the years, those layers become weak, wrinkled, and sagged. Those three unattractive words are causing many San Antonio patients to partake in a cosmetic surgery technically called rhytidectomy, but known as a facelift.
Rhytidectomy is a procedure that takes several hours and the incisions and sequence of events may vary according to the surgeon’s approach or person’s facial structure. After either a local anesthesia and sedative or general anesthesia is applied, a surgical incision is made to the face. Generally, the incision is made above the hairline at the temples and extends down the front of the ear, continues behind the earlobe and ends at the lower scalp.
With incisions made on both sides of the face, the surgeon can either work on one side of the face at a time, or move back and forth. After the incisions are made, the fat is suctioned out of the face, the deep tissues are pulled up and back to tighten it and the surplus skin is removed. The underlaying muscles also tighten and then stitching fastens the layers of tissue and incisions.
Preparing for Facelift Surgery:
In San Antonio, facelift procedure preparations begin months in advance by patients letting their hair grow out to cover up scars from the surgery. Cigarette smoking patients are asked to quit at least two weeks prior to surgery and Aspirins and other blood thinning medications should be avoided for two weeks as well.
The day before surgery, hair is asked to be washed thoroughly and alcohol avoided. San Antonio patients need to get a good night sleep the day before surgery; a precaution for all surgeries.
All types of plastic surgery in San Antonio are taken serious and performed with delicacy, so it is always asked that patients adhere to all pre-procedure guidelines.
After the Procedure:
In San Antonio, a facelift means rest for at least a week, but many patients require more time due to postoperative swelling and drowsiness from pain medication taken after surgery. Patients will be in no condition to drive home, nor be able to complete daily activities like cooking or bathing alone, so schedules should be cleared and help available. Cigarette smoking is recommended to halt for at least another two weeks, to ensure the best healing.
Most offices that perform plastic surgery in San Antonio remove the stitching in about five days and the initial facelift results begin to appear. However, it should be noted that bruising, puffiness and swelling may mask the results for one or two weeks, but shortly after a tightened and less-wrinkled face will surely appear.