Face Lift

What is a face lift?

A face lift, or rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that improves visible signs of aging in the face and neck and treats various other issues:

• Sagging facial skin
• Visible fold lines between the nose and corner of the mouth
• Fat that has reduced or disappeared
• A double chin
• Loose hanging neck skin resembling a “turkey neck”

The loss of youthful appearance in the face can be due to a variety of factors, including thinning of the skin, loss of facial fat, gravity, sun damage and smoking, along with heredity and stress.

Other procedures that may be performed in combination with a face lift:

• A brow lift and eyelid surgery can rejuvenate aging eyes.
• Fat transfers or fillers to replace lost fatty volume.
• Skin treatments, such as intense pulse light (IPL), dermabrasion, peels or laser to improve the quality and texture of the skin.

What does face lift surgery not do?

As a restorative surgery, a face lift does not change your fundamental appearance and cannot stop the aging process.

A face lift can only be performed surgically; nonsurgical rejuvenation treatments do not achieve the same results, but may help delay the time when a face lift becomes appropriate and complement the results of surgery.