FACELIFT

– NEWPORT BEACH, CA –

As you age, you experience changes in the skin, fats, muscles, and bones of your face, contributing to your overall facial appearance.

Your skin loses collagen, thinning your skin’s middle layer, called the dermis. It also reduces your skin’s ability to retain elasticity and moisture, resulting in thinner, drier, and less supple skin. It’s the reason why you develop wrinkled and sagging skin as well.

Fat loss also happens, leading to a loss of facial volume. You’ll notice that your forehead and cheeks lose fat, while your mouth and jaw might gain fat. The redistribution of fat pads can change your facial contours, resulting in heavy jowls and sagginess.

Even your facial bones can lose volume, affecting the overlying tissues and skin. You’ll notice that your bony landmarks are more visible, leading to the development of wrinkles and fine lines. In addition, your nasolabial folds become more prominent, while your cheeks become hollow. You’ll also develop thinner lips and wrinkles around your mouth.

The good news is that you can turn back the hands of time and restore your youthful appearance with the help of a Newport Beach facelift expertly done by Dr. Siamak Agha and Dr. Ali Razfar of The Aesthetic Centers.

Learn more about how the classic facelift can erase the signs of aging on your face and neck, improve your appearance, and reclaim your youth as you read the rest of this article.

  • Facelift Patient Newport Beach, CA
  • Facelift Patient Newport Beach, CA
  • Facelift Patient Newport Beach, CA
  • Facelift Patient Newport Beach, CA
  • Facelift Patient Newport Beach, CA
  • orange county facelift patient 4 front left Newport Beach, CA
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    What is a Facelift?

    Medically known as rhytidectomy, a facelift reverses the effects of time on your face and neck, making you look like a younger version of yourself.

    As you age, two things happen to your face – your skin loses elasticity, and your tissues lose volume. These result in deep wrinkles, jowls on your lower face, and loose skin on the neck.

    With a facelift, your surgeon will remove excess skin, smoothen deep folds, and lift and tighten your sagging facial tissues.

    A facelift is an excellent solution if you’re bothered by these natural signs of aging and want to restore your youthful, vibrant appearance. It will also correct skin laxity in your neck area that occurs due to massive weight loss.

    In fact, the facelift is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries among adults aged 55 and above in 2018, second only to an eyelid lift.

    Here are the most common facelift types:

    There are multiple breast lift techniques, but the following are the most common ones that plastic surgeons use.

    Traditional Facelift

    Also known as SMAS facelift, the standard facelift addresses moderate to severe sagging from the middle of your face down to your neck. 

    SMAS stands for superficial musculo-aponeurotic system, the connective tissue matrix mixed with fat covering all the facial muscles and nerves. Repositioning it toward your ears provides longevity to your surgical results.

    Its incision is just behind the hairline, starting at the temples to the front and the back of the ear. From there, your deeper tissues and muscles are repositioned while excess skin is removed to smooth the creases on your face, eliminate jowls on your cheeks, and get rid of the sagging skin under your chin.

    This might be the technique of choice if you recently lost a lot of weight and have a lot of excess skin on your neck.

    Deep Plane Facelift

    The deep plane facelift is a modification of the traditional facelift that provides longer-lasting and natural-looking results.

    There is minimal dissection of the facial skin in this type of facelift, and the SMAS layer is released from the deeper muscle layer. The skin/SMAS composite flap is then repositioned posteriorly and vertically.

    Through this technique, there is minimal tension on the incisions, resulting in nearly invisible scars.

    Midface Lift

    A relatively new technique, the midface lift is used to lift soft tissues in your cheekbones to alleviate the appearance of nasolabial folds or smile lines, as well as hanging skin in the middle of your face.

    Most surgeons combine the midface lift with a traditional facelift. Others do a cheek augmentation to achieve a similar result.

    Mini-Facelift

    If you only have a mild degree of sagging skin, you may qualify for the mini-facelift – a less invasive technique than the deep plane facelift or SMAS facelift.

    You can get your skin firmed up using shorter incisions, typically located in the natural creases surrounding the ear. With these incisions, your cheeks are lifted to eliminate jowls, refine your jawline, and enhance your vibrant and youthful look.

    A mini-facelift is also ideal if you want to prevent signs of aging from becoming too pronounced. It can be performed under local or general anesthesia.

    Platysmaplasty

    This type of neck lift targets the platysma muscle located beneath the skin on each side of your neck. As you age, these muscles start protruding and separating by about an inch from your neck, resulting in two vertical neckbands.
    With a platysmaplasty, the neck skin is separated from your platysma muscle and the muscles are tightened by suturing them together through an incision under the chin.

    It is often done in conjunction with a facelift.

    Neck Lift

    As the name itself suggests, a neck lift targets your sagging neck area.
    Short incisions are made at the earlobe and behind the ear. A platysmaplasty is performed to remove any pronounced neck cords, then remove excess fat from the neck area using liposuction.
    A neck lift is often done in conjunction with a facelift for patients with poor or fair skin elasticity. Otherwise, the solo procedure might be enough for those with excellent skin elasticity.
    This may be combined with a chin implant or Profound RF to obtain some skin tightening.

    Ellacor

    If you’re not too keen on getting a surgical facelift, you can settle for a skin tightening procedure like the ellacor™ system.

    The ellacor system is a first-of-its-kind technology for the treatment of wrinkles that removes micro-cores of excess skin in the mid and lower face on the microscale, without surgery or the use of thermal energy, with minimal downtime.

    Read more about ellacor here.

    How Do Dr. Agha and Dr. Razfar Perform a Facelift?

    The technique used depends on various factors, such as the patient’s anatomical features, goals, and extent of the procedure.

    Often, a facelift is performed with another procedure, such as eyelid surgery or forehead lift.

    Preparation

    Before your facelift, you will be given specific instructions on what to do to make sure that you do not develop any complications. You might also be asked to buy a few supplies to prepare for your recovery.

    Anesthesia

    Though typically performed using general anesthesia, a facelift may also be completed under local anesthesia with sedation if the procedure isn’t that extensive.

    For most patients, we prefer general anesthesia since the patient is far more comfortable when asleep.

    Liposuction

    The procedure is started by infusing tumescent fluid under the skin. This fluid will numb the face and reduce blood loss.

    If the patient has a double chin and excessive fat, liposuction of the neck will be performed to remove fat from this region.

    Incision

    The sign of a remarkable facelift is not only a beautifully rejuvenated face and neck but also a scar that is perfectly placed in a well-hidden crease in front and behind the ear.

    The incision is started at the temples within the sideburn hair and continues to the crease in front of the ear, around the ear cartilage, in the crease around the lobule, and ending in the crease behind the ear.

    For those patients who have a lot of neck skin – such as in the case of patients who have lost lots of weight – the incision is extended behind the ear further along the hairline so that more neck skin can be excised.

    Finally, another one-inch incision is made below the chin to access the neck muscles and elevate the neck skin.

    Tissue Elevation

    Through the incisions made in front and behind the ear, a portion of facial and neck skin is meticulously elevated from the underlying connective tissues and muscles.

    The neck skin is extensively lifted completely as far as the midline from each side. He also raises the neck skin behind and below the ear. Through the incisions made in front and behind the ear, a portion of facial and neck skin is meticulously elevated from the underlying connective tissues and muscles.

    The neck skin is extensively lifted completely as far as the midline from each side. He also raises the neck skin behind and below the ear.

    Facial Tightening

    In a SMAS facelift, the SMAS can be manipulated in a variety of ways.

    Depending on the patient’s facial shape, we may lift and suture the SMAS, cut and repair the SMAS, or just infold and tighten the SMAS to create a smooth and lifted layer. A personalized series of suturing is used to tighten and lift the SMAS tissues of the neck and face.

    In a deep plane facelift, the SMAS and platysma are released from the underlying facial muscles, repositioned, and secured in a posterior and vertical direction.

    After lifting the SMAS, excess skin is excised, and incisions are closed.

    In some cases, fat transfer to the cheeks may also be performed in conjunction with a facelift. It is recommended for patients who lost a significant amount of volume in the cheeks due to aging and/or weight loss.

    Post-Surgery

    You may expect to have a small, thin tube temporarily placed under the skin behind your ear for blood and fluid drainage.

    Your skin is closed with stitches that will need to be removed 5-7 days after surgery.

    How Do You Recover from a Facelift?

    Even though a Newport Beach facelift is a complicated procedure, the good news is you’ll have a fast recovery process.

    Typically, patients can go home on the same day of their surgery, as long as they have a family member or friend to care for them.

    You will receive oral medications to ease the discomfort you’re feeling, which may subsist for a few days. Expect also to have some bruising and swelling within 7-10 days.

    Scars take three to six months to heal fully and fade into a thin white line. But since the location of these scars is inconspicuous, you might feel comfortable going out in public within a week.

    Still, it’s vital to protect your face from the sun to help your scars heal faster. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and apply sunscreen regularly when going out.

    Here’s an estimated timeline of when you can return to your normal activities barring any complications:

    TimelineActivity
    Up to three days post-faceliftBruising and swelling at their peak
    5-10 daysInitial healing completed
    Return to work (for mini-facelift)
    Removal of sutures
    2 weekResume normal daily activities
    Return to work (for traditional facelift)
    4 weeksLight exercises allowed
    6 weeksRegular exercises and strenuous activities allowed

    What Results Can You Expect from a Facelift?

    After getting a facelift, you can expect:

    • Reduced facial lines and wrinkles
    • Firm and smoother skin on the face and neck
    • Tighter facial contour
    • A more youthful appearance
    • Higher self-esteem and sense of self-worth

    A 2017 study revealed that patients who underwent facial rejuvenation surgeries like the facelift are perceived as younger and more attractive by casual observers compared to their photos before the surgery.

    Because of this, facelift patients generally feel more attractive, adding to their confidence and sense of overall well-being.

    Facelift FAQs

    To evaluate your need for a facelift, try to answer the following with a yes or a no:

    • Do you feel self-conscious about the sagging skin on your face and neck due to aging or weight loss?
    • Do you often wear scarves and turtlenecks just to hide your “turkey neck”?
    • Do you feel that your face looks much older when you look into the mirror?
    • Does your aging appearance negatively affect your career or personal relationships?
    • Are you bothered by the early signs of aging that are taking hold of your face?
    • Are you feeling self-conscious and less confident because of the signs of aging on your face?
    If you answered YES to any of these questions, then you might be in dire need of a facelift. This popular surgery will not only make you look healthier and younger but also give you a surge of self-confidence.

    Unfortunately, not everyone who wants a facelift can get one. Some things you need to consider include:

    Your facial skin should be supple and flexible enough to make sure that it will conform to its new, improved contours.

    You need to have a well-defined underlying bone structure to create satisfying results. If you have less distinct features, you might be better off getting Botox injections or dermal fillers.

    Surprising as it may seem, age isn’t the most significant factor in assessing if you’re an excellent facelift candidate or not. Though most patients who undergo this surgery are between 40 and 70 years old, you can still benefit from it even if you’re over 70, as long as you are healthy and have good skin elasticity.

    Because a facelift is an invasive procedure that requires healing and recovery, you need to be in good health without any severe pre-existing medical conditions that might make your surgery risky.

    While a facelift can take years off your face, it isn’t practical to expect that your 60-year-old face will magically transform into a 30-year-old face or that it can miraculously stop the clock.

    Talking to Dr. Agha and Dr. Razfar regarding your expectations, medical history, and skin condition to guide you into making the right decision about getting a facelift.

    After a thorough consultation, your surgeon will make a customized treatment plan that is right for you. Several factors will influence the total cost, including the technique used, length of anesthesia, and any additional treatments needed.

    Because a facelift is considered an elective procedure, it is not covered by your insurance. However, our office provides various financing options to help you manage the cost of surgery.