Facial cosmetic surgery rejuvenates a patient’s facial appearance by alleviating signs of aging, such as wrinkles and laxity, and by adjusting facial contours.
While most seek cosmetic surgery for beauty and appearance, it’s important to remember that its primary aim is improvement rather than perfection.
What Does a Facial Plastic Surgeon Do?
A reconstructive surgeon assesses your skin’s condition, recommends treatment options, and performs procedures (surgical and non-surgical) to help you meet your appearance goals and health needs.
Consider consulting a facial plastic surgeon in Alabama for these symptoms or conditions.
- Congenital abnormalities in the face
- Breathing problems due to collapsed or blocked nasal airway passages
- Burns or scars
- Facial features that make you uncomfortable in social situations
- Facial asymmetry or paralysis, sagging lower eyelids, or poorly defined smile lines
- Hair loss that responds poorly to other treatments
- Injuries to your face
- Wrinkles, sagging skin, or an imbalanced skin tone.
During the surgical procedure, a cosmetic surgeon removes excess facial fat, tightens facial muscles, and stretches facial skin to achieve a smoother and firmer facial appearance. This procedure takes place on the neck, face, or both.
Depending on the area of the lift, the surgeon separates the skin from the fat and muscle, removes the excess fat and skin, then stretches the skin in place and secures it with sutures.
Are You the Best Candidate for a Facelift?
Patients with sagging facial skin, fatty and droopy skin, and unpleasant facial features like scars qualify for a cosmetic facial transformation.
The ideal patient has a strong, well-defined bone structure and is between forty to sixty years old when the early signs of aging appear. However, there’s no actual age for a surgical procedure, as there can be other reasons, such as reconstruction after an accident.
Recovery After a Facelift Procedure
While it takes a few months to notice the final results after reconstructive surgery, the recovery takes much less time. The recovery period is different for patients, depending on one’s age, health status, or the extent of the facial procedure performed by the surgeon.
Here is what recovery should look like for the first few weeks.
Week 1
After surgery, ensure to keep the incision areas clean to prevent them from infection. You will need the support of friends and family after the procedure to drive you home and ensure you take your pain medication to ease the pain.
Your surgeon will also inspect your incision and swelling on your follow-up visit, usually on the second day. If it looks okay, the doctor will redress the area and send you home, and if necessary, schedule another follow-up visit. After the fourth or fifth day, you might feel more comfortable moving around and doing light chores.
Week 2
Your face will likely swell and bruise around the affected area, but this is a normal part of your healing process. You may also experience numbness, tightness, or a tingling sensation. Most patients heal almost entirely during this week and are ready to return to work.
Week 3 & 4
The surgeon removes the sutures, and at this time, you can quickly notice some improvements in their facial contour. The stitch lines should fade with time, and you can go back to exercising and enjoying fun activities.
Facial Plastic Surgery Q&As
Q: What are the main goals of performing cosmetic facial surgery?
A: A facial plastic procedure aims at improving the appearance and functions of facial features
Q: What is the ideal age for a facelift procedure?
A: The best age is between 40 and 60 years, but there’s no actual age as long as the patient is strong and healthy enough for the surgery.
Q: What should you avoid before surgery?
A: Avoid smoking, anti-inflammatory medicines, and herbal supplements that may affect clotting.
Q: Does the facial appearance improve long after the surgery?
A: Yes. As the skin heals and muscles readjust, your final appearance begins to reveal and improve, even after three weeks of healing.
Q: Are the facelift suture lines visible after the dressing is removed?
A: After the surgeon removes the sutures, the stitch lines gradually fade and become unnoticeable.
Q: What are the long-term effects of botched facelift surgery?
A: When performed by an unqualified surgeon, you may start experiencing numbness and tingling due to nerve damage.
Q: What are the two types of facial plastic surgery?
A: Facial surgical procedures are classified into reconstructive procedures and cosmetic procedures.
Q: How long do the results last after a surgical procedure?
A: The outcomes can last between 10 to 20 years of looking youthful, depending on the extent of the cosmetic procedure.
Q: Who doesn’t qualify for facial plastic surgery?
A: Patients with pre-existing medical or psychological conditions are advised against facial plastic surgery.
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