Benefits
The physiological process of facial aging is often slower in men. Some of the changes men see include volume loss, fat accumulation in the neck area, and gravitational descent. Facelifts for men are most effective for those who want to correct the following:
- Sagging in the midface region
- Deep creases under your eyes
- Nasolabial folds (creases between the mouth and nose)
- Loss of soft tissue tone leading to jowls
- Fatty deposits leading to sagging
- Excessive and loose skin and fat under the jaw and chin
In order to achieve optimal rejuvenation, your facelift can be combined with other procedures like an eyelid surgery or brow lift. Your results can be enhanced with other treatments like injectables, fat injections, facial implants, or skin resurfacing. These combination procedures will be discussed during your consultation once Dr. Wallach understands your aesthetic goals.
Candidates
Even though your plastic surgeon will determine your candidacy for a facelift, you are a good candidate if:
- You want to improve one or more aging signs
- Your skin has begun to sag but still retains its elasticity
- You are in good general health and have realistic expectations from the procedure
- You are not a smoker or have stopped recently
- You are undergoing the procedure due to personal reasons and not to please anybody else
Procedure
Your facelift procedure may take between 2-4 hours for completion and can be performed under general anesthesia or IV sedation. The surgical procedure can vary depending on factors like the structure of your face, your desired results, and your plastic surgeon’s technique. There are 3 main techniques for incisions during your facelift and these include the traditional facelift, limited incision, and neck lift.
The traditional or full facelift is used for rejuvenation of the face, neck, and jowls. The surgical procedure includes fat sculpting, lifting, and repositioning of the deeper tissue and muscles, skin excision, and re-draping of the remaining skin over your underlying structure. The incision for this technique begins at the temple or along the sideburn and goes around the ears to reach the lower scalp at or within the hairline. In many cases, a second incision may be made under your chin for neck rejuvenation as well.
When you require limited facial rejuvenation around your mouth and eyes, the limited incision facelift is the chosen procedure. During this, short incisions are made at the temples and around your ears; for some cases, incisions can be made under the upper lip or in the lower eyelids.
Additionally, a neck lift helps eliminate neck bands and loose skin and fat from the neck and chin area. The incisions used for the procedure go around your earlobe and behind them, towards the lower scalp.
Whichever kind of incision is used for your facelift, an experienced plastic surgeon like Dr. Wallach ensures that these are well hidden within your natural contours and are closed using tissue glue or stitches.
Recovery
After the completion of your facelift surgery, your incisions are bandaged, and drainage tubes may be placed. These tubes are removed within a few days; however, any sutures used during your procedure will be removed between one and two weeks after surgery.
Some of the common symptoms you will experience after your surgery include numbness, swelling, and bruising in the area. You may also feel a certain degree of tightness in the neck and face area. Any stiffness in the muscles or distortion will usually resolve on its own within 3 to 6 weeks. All sensation usually returns to your face in a few months.
Some swelling will remain after 3 weeks, but most men can return to work after 1-2 weeks. It is important that you are gentle with your hair and skin. You may be required to shave behind your ears and neck as the beard-growing skin is repositioned to these areas.
Schedule a Consultation
The facelift is the gold standard in facial rejuvenation, and many men find great benefits from it. To begin discussing a unique procedure for you and your goals, contact our office to schedule a private consultation with Dr. Wallach.