"I never thought I'd have plastic surgery done—it
seemed so superficial. But as I got older, I just didn't like what time
was doing to my face and my self-esteem. My face lift was one of the
best things I've done for myself in a long time."
—J.S. (age 53)
Who is a Candidate?
Men and women in their 40s, 50s and 60s are the most common patients for a face lift in Maryland at our Frederick plastic surgery practice. Face lift is a particularly popular choice because in this age range, it's not uncommon to see signs of aging on areas the face including lines along side of the nose, grooves from the corners of the mouth, jowls, and redundant skin on the neck and lower face.
Ready to learn more about a face lift? Start seeing what's possible when you view face lift photos from actual patients of the practice. When you're ready, request a consultation with Dr. Kress at the office of Plastic Surgery One on Opossumtown Pike in Frederick.
Face Lift in Maryland
Face lifts are performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia
with sedation, or under general anesthesia.
The incisions vary significantly depending upon hairlines and facial
features, but generally start in the hair above the ear, follow the
front edge of the ear and curve around the lobe and back into the
hairline behind the ear. After elevating the skin, the next deeper
layer of the face (SMAS) with muscle attachments is then tightened for
a more natural look. The facial skin is gently repositioned and lifted,
with the removal of excess skin as well.
Face lifts are frequently accompanied by complementary procedures
such as eyelid lifts, brow lift, or laser surgery.
Recovery Time
Most of our Maryland face lift patients are able to have their sutures removed within 10 days. Bruising and swelling decrease
enough within 10 to 14 days for you to resume your work or regular activities. Final results are evident in 4 to 6 weeks or sooner with
continued improvement for several months.
Your Result
After facial plastic surgery in Frederick, patients can enjoy a more youthful, rested appearance with a natural, balanced, and
enhanced beauty.
Maryland Face Lift FAQ's
- What other types of face lifts are there?
The SMAS face lift is the workhorse of Plastic Surgery and continues to
be an excellent procedure. There are—and there should be—minor
variations in the position and size of the incisions based on
individual facial features and patterns of aging, not based on a
formula.
Other types of face lifts that are being performed:
- Sub-periostial - this is a very deep face lift, which repositions
the muscles in the face at the level of the skeleton. This has produced
some fairly spectacular results. It is being done in very limited
numbers because the period of swelling and recovery is substantially
longer than for the standard SMAS face lift, and the return to work can
be prolonged as well.
- Extended SMAS lift - by going further towards the midline of the
face and cutting several ligaments, an attempt is made to increase the
durability of the face lift, but with questionable success.
- Endoscopic face lift - although the scope is now the standard of
care for dealing with the brow and the forehead, it has a far more
limited application in the other portions of the face. The principle
problem being that even though deep portions of the procedure can be
done through the scope, there still is excess skin that needs to be
managed. In some cases, the surgery time is significantly longer for
similar results.
- What if I have only minor areas of sagginess and wrinkling?
Instead of a full face lift, you may want to consider a "mini" face lift in Maryland
from Dr. Kress. Variations include the temple lift, midface lift, S-lift, and G suture.
- Can a face lift be repeated?
Face lifts are repeatable quite easily as long as the previous
procedures were done correctly and in the correct plane. By that I mean
there are several layers within the skin where the lift can be done. If
these layers were correctly identified and respected during surgery,
the face lift procedure can certainly be repeated.
- If I have more that one face lift, will I look unnatural?
No. The face lifts, when correctly done, continue to maintain a very
natural look and do not yield the stretched and taut look that is
sometimes associated with the old face lifts or with a poorly done
face lift.
- How long does a face lift last?
That's a very interesting question - actually forever. The simplest way
to demonstrate is by comparing identical twins. One sister has the
face lift procedure while the other does not. At the conclusion of the
procedure the first sister looks ten years younger than the other. So
even though both sisters will continue to age from that point, they'll
never again look exactly the same unless the second twin also has a
face lift.
So the answer to "How long does it last?" is FOREVER. Will you have it
repeated? That becomes a social issue rather than an anatomical issue.
In general, most of the people in the eastern part of the United States
do not repeat their face lift. A single face lift is all that is
accomplished in more than 75% of patients. On the west coast, the rate
is somewhat higher, but then the acceptance of cosmetic surgery there
is higher also.
- What are the signs of a bad face lift?
- Most serious is a stretched and taut, unnatural facial appearance.
There can be a variety of reasons for this. The most common is the
choice of incorrect vectors, which are the angles from which the skin
and the SMAS tissue are moved. The skin and soft tissue is positioned
toward the ear instead of toward the brows and the temple, which is the
direction that the tissue originally migrated from. This is
correctable, but far better avoided.
- Loss of the earlobe - an amateurish face lift will sometimes cause
the earlobe to disappear and create a stretched and very unnatural
looking ear.
- Loss of sideburn
- An open ear canal - sometimes the incision in front of the ear
sacrifices the little bump in front of the ear so that you can look
directly into the ears. This is a very unnatural look.
Have a question that isn't answered here? Request a consultation with Dr. Kress or call us at 240.575.1566.
"A man finds room in the few square inches of his face for the traits of all his ancestors; for the expression of all his history, and his wants."
—Emerson
