Before having a facelift it is important to prepare yourself. If you color your hair you may want to do so before having surgery .You cannot use hair dye for 4 to 6 weeks after having a facelift. Do not take any medications or pills that contain before or after the surgery. Aspirin thins the blood. A successful facelift impart depends upon the ability of your blood to clot. If your blood is too thin it can harm the healing process.Here is a list of some other medications to avoid surgery. Make sure to let us know any and all medications and vitamins you are taking during your consultation.
Below is a more complete list of Medications to Avoid:
- Aspirin Products
- Alka-seltzer Products
- Bayer Products
- Excedrin
- Pepto-Bismol
- Lbuprofen Medications
- Advil
- Alleve
- Dimetapp
- Motrin
Smoking can be harmful if you are intending to have a facelift. Smoke restricts the blood vessels in your face that are important for healing. Smoking, or being around smokers can result in necrosis. Necrosis is where the skin dose not receive enough blood, turns black and eventually dies. If you are a smoker you must quit two weeks before surgery and two weeks after. You must also avoid being around others who are smoking.
Face lift surgery is performed under general anesthesia as well as local local anesthesia. Incisions usually begins above the hairline at the temple, extend in a natural line in front of the ear (or just inside the cartilage at the front of the ear), and continue behind the earlobe to the lower scalp. If the neck needs work, a small incision may also be made under the chin. The surgeon separates the skin from the fat and muscle below. Fat may be trimmed or suctioned from around the neck and chin to improve the contouring of neck and jaw line. Then the surgeon tightens the underlying muscle and membrane, pulls the skin back, and trims the excess. Stitches secure the layers of tissue and close the incisions, on the scalp staples are used.
A small thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin behind your ear to drain any blood that might collect there. The surgeon will wrap your head with bandages to minimize bruising and swelling.
Information | |
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Anesthesia | General |
Surgery Length | 5 – 6 hours |
Side Effects | Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness and tenderness of skin; tight feeling, dry skin. For men, permanent need to shave behind ears, where beard-growing skin is repositioned. |
Recovery Period | Back to work: 10 to 14 days. More strenuous activity: 4 weeks or more. Bruising: 2 to 3 weeks. Must limit exposure to sun for several months. |
Stay in Hospital | 1 day |
Stay in Thailand | 14 days |
Potential Surgery Risks and Complications vary from patient to patient depending on a range of factors and the extent of surgical work required. Regardless of how remote, the potential risks are listed below are possible. Your own research is essential especially if you are considering surgery. Following pre and post surgical care and instructions will also reduce your risks. See the following potential risks and complications include and not limited to:
Medical:
- Temporary pain, swelling, bruising, infection, scarring, fluid build up (seroma), bleeding, scarring, reaction to anaesthesia and medications
- Suture complications
- Poor wound healing or Necrosis (common with smokers)
- Injury to the nerves that control facial muscles
- Hyperpigmentation caused by the bruising
- Psychiatric disorders – distorted perception and expectations post surgery
Aesthetic:
- Asymmetry (Symmetry never guaranteed)
- “Windswept” appearance
- Laxity relapses of the skin (in various areas)
- Small dog ears at Incision sites (behind ears)
- Hyperpigmentation caused by the bruising