Facelift

As we get older we actually loose fat in our face and this contributes to the face hanging and sometimes looking a little sunken. Facelift can lift and thicken the cheeks to a degree.

However, the addition of fat injection techniques can greatly help here. This is when your own fat is harvested and injected in multiple small injections to replace some of the lost fat to leave a fuller more youthful looking cheek.

A full facelift essentially lifts the jowls and neck so does not change the whole face as the name suggests. In reality it is a ‘neck and lower face lift’ operation! The scars are in front of the ear and then up behind the ear and hairline.

Although there are operations that try to keep the scars just behind the ears these are not, in my opinion, as good at tightening the neck as a full facelift would be. In reality when the neck is the major problem most of the attention will go to this area to maximize the results.

A mini facelift can also tighten the neck area but not quite as well as a full facelift. Therefore, for lots of neck laxity I usually recommend a full facelift.

Major problems like nerve injury or loss of some of the skin are very uncommon. Done carefully a facelift is a safe operation.

However, a facelift can have some problems and altered sensation, some small temporary lumpiness or slight healing problems around the ear are not uncommon but settle over time.

The scars tend to settle extremely well and become difficult to see within a few months in front of the ear.

Behind the ear the scars can take 6-12 months to fully settle but do tend to stretch slightly in comparison. Being behind the ear and often covered by hair the scars are not easily seen.

A difficult question to answer!! However, we usually prefer to say that you will look very good or fresher for your age... saying that you can often, if not usually, look about 10 years younger

As you will continue to age after a facelift the process is constantly changing and progressing. In reality the benefits of a facelift will probably last 10-20 years. However, because of continued ageing some patients look to repeat the surgery after 6-10 years.

Both short scar and full facelifts are good at treating the jowl area and stop the jawline from looking square. The lines from the corner of the mouth may be softened but certainly not eradicated by a facelift. You may need some fillers or fat injection to help this.