“How long do the effects of a facelift last?”
I want to get a facelift. How long do the effects of a facelift last?
2 Answers
PlasticSurgeonPlasticSurgeon
A facelift does not stop the process of aging, but it certainly makes one look better for where they are than if they did not have a procedure performed.
Dear Friend!
Thank you for your question. I just want to take this opportunity to apologize to other Friends for not being able to answer your questions. I have been a bit busy with my personal stuff recently.
To your question: how long do the effects of a facelift last?
This is the question that we ask ourselves when we consider performing a facelift. The procedure has been evolving since I started doing it. Some surgeons think five years more or less, and it depends more on the surgeon who does it than on the techniques. I think it also depends on the individual aging process as much as, if not more than, the lift itself.
You know, there is a science of facelift as of any other surgical procedures, still we do aesthetics here. I don't think I can measure and be precise, or predict the results accurately. There are so many factors that may affect the outcomes. I do think it is an art form, so it depends on the performer and his or her work at that particular time when it is being formed. It may therefore vary a bit.
We have learned a lot about face-lift as an aesthetic procedure. Yes, we remove the redundant skin as we pull it up and sew it back along a designed curve to hide the cut. Yes, we also lift the sagging tissue under the skin after we have separated it from the skin.
There are areas where the skin anchors deep to the bone. Here are where some surgeons do release it to slide the skin over it. I am not sure if it helps much, since now the skin is under greater tension over a continous wider area. And, it will alter the 3-dimensional shape and become flatter over it when you redrape the skin. The flatness may improve the look in some cases, so it can be a good technique. You don't see the effect of the lifted soft tissue under but you see the contours over the skin.
This procedure is not a lift for me per se. I do facial contouring. I do cut and pull the skin and the sagging soft tissue up and anchor them to a higher point. You know, it is so safe now to do this type of surgery. I can take my time to do the work. I see the face as a whole with separated areas that need to improve.
I usually start with removing fat where needed and notice where there is some loss of volume. Every person is different in shapes and forms here. Then, I cut the skin along the lines that I think I can remove the skin where needed. This may not be a good analogy, but like you fix anything you may open it up totally and re-assemble it. This is a difficult task for me since everything is in its place originally. I just spend time on the particular areas that I think I can improve it and leave other areas as they are, so I don't screw up the other areas. If I need to do a revision, it is easier and will improve. I try not to make mistakes where there is no need to touch it.
Liposuction and fat-grafting are so effective. Although some fat graft may not live, the skin over it always improves its tone and elasticity. I appy the same principles as I do lipoabdominoplasty, but it is more complex, more difficult and time consuming to do facial contouring and rejuvenating it at the same time.
I may not have answered your question directly. If you only want to know on the average how long a face-lift lasts. I would say around five years. If you are the right person for a facelift technique, it may last longer. However, you should look younger naturally, not a tight facial skin.
Khiem Lai, MD
Aesthetic Physician and Surgeon
Thank you for your question. I just want to take this opportunity to apologize to other Friends for not being able to answer your questions. I have been a bit busy with my personal stuff recently.
To your question: how long do the effects of a facelift last?
This is the question that we ask ourselves when we consider performing a facelift. The procedure has been evolving since I started doing it. Some surgeons think five years more or less, and it depends more on the surgeon who does it than on the techniques. I think it also depends on the individual aging process as much as, if not more than, the lift itself.
You know, there is a science of facelift as of any other surgical procedures, still we do aesthetics here. I don't think I can measure and be precise, or predict the results accurately. There are so many factors that may affect the outcomes. I do think it is an art form, so it depends on the performer and his or her work at that particular time when it is being formed. It may therefore vary a bit.
We have learned a lot about face-lift as an aesthetic procedure. Yes, we remove the redundant skin as we pull it up and sew it back along a designed curve to hide the cut. Yes, we also lift the sagging tissue under the skin after we have separated it from the skin.
There are areas where the skin anchors deep to the bone. Here are where some surgeons do release it to slide the skin over it. I am not sure if it helps much, since now the skin is under greater tension over a continous wider area. And, it will alter the 3-dimensional shape and become flatter over it when you redrape the skin. The flatness may improve the look in some cases, so it can be a good technique. You don't see the effect of the lifted soft tissue under but you see the contours over the skin.
This procedure is not a lift for me per se. I do facial contouring. I do cut and pull the skin and the sagging soft tissue up and anchor them to a higher point. You know, it is so safe now to do this type of surgery. I can take my time to do the work. I see the face as a whole with separated areas that need to improve.
I usually start with removing fat where needed and notice where there is some loss of volume. Every person is different in shapes and forms here. Then, I cut the skin along the lines that I think I can remove the skin where needed. This may not be a good analogy, but like you fix anything you may open it up totally and re-assemble it. This is a difficult task for me since everything is in its place originally. I just spend time on the particular areas that I think I can improve it and leave other areas as they are, so I don't screw up the other areas. If I need to do a revision, it is easier and will improve. I try not to make mistakes where there is no need to touch it.
Liposuction and fat-grafting are so effective. Although some fat graft may not live, the skin over it always improves its tone and elasticity. I appy the same principles as I do lipoabdominoplasty, but it is more complex, more difficult and time consuming to do facial contouring and rejuvenating it at the same time.
I may not have answered your question directly. If you only want to know on the average how long a face-lift lasts. I would say around five years. If you are the right person for a facelift technique, it may last longer. However, you should look younger naturally, not a tight facial skin.
Khiem Lai, MD
Aesthetic Physician and Surgeon
