As we age, many seek to refresh their appearance and look more youthful by getting a facelift. Although a facelift addresses sagging skin and wrinkles, it does not always provide the desired result for fine lines or texture issues – especially in specific areas around the eyes and mouth.

Have you considered getting a facelift and want to know more about the benefits? This blog explains what to expect from a facelift and why it does not treat fine lines or skin texture problems.

Keep reading to discover more, then contact Palm Beach Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery to schedule a consultation with our patient counselor at (561) 833-4122.

What is a Facelift?

A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure performed by Palm Beach plastic surgeons to reduce the visible signs of aging in the face and neck. It can help reduce sagging skin around the jawline and neck area, remove excess fat deposits in the cheeks or chin area, and tighten loose skin on the face and neck for a more youthful appearance.

During the procedure, the surgeon makes incisions in front of and behind the ears to access deeper layers of facial tissue, tighten the underlying muscles, and remove excess fat before redraping the skin over the new contours of the face and trimming away excess skin for a smoother jawline and tighter cheeks.

The procedure requires two to four hours, depending on how much work the patient needs. Recovery time varies from patient to patient but can take up to two weeks before resuming everyday activities.

A facelift offers many benefits: it can enhance your appearance by reducing sagging skin, deep wrinkles, and muscle bands on the neck. However, traditional facelift surgery does not address skin texture or fine lines because it does not target the various factors that cause these issues, including sun exposure, smoking, genetics, and age-related changes in collagen production.

What Can I Expect When Getting a Facelift?

When considering Palm Beach facial plastic surgery, your first step is a consultation with a patient counselor to discuss your goals and expectations for the procedure and its potential risks or complications. The patient counselor can inform you about the type of anesthesia you will receive and how the surgeon will administer it.

Before surgery, some patients may need to make preparations, such as avoiding specific medications or arranging for transportation afterward. Following the instructions of Palm Beach plastic surgeons is vital to ensure you’re healthy enough for the procedure and can make a full recovery afterward.

Dr. Fredric M. Barr, M.D., F.A.C.S., performs a facelift in an outpatient setting under general anesthesia. After the surgery, a patient may experience swelling, bruising, tightness, and numbness in their face, which should resolve within one year.

The recovery period after a facelift can last up to six weeks. During this time, keep your face and neck stiff by avoiding strenuous activities like weightlifting. Slightly elevating your head while sleeping can help reduc swelling and bruising for the first two weeks following the procedure. Avoid direct sunlight because sun exposure can cause discoloration of scars or other skin issues.

Following these guidelines, you can expect to heal quickly and properly from your facelift procedure with minimal discomfort or complications.

Benefits of Getting a Facelift

Getting a facelift can help reverse the signs of aging, including the following:

• Sagging skin
• Deep wrinkles
• Double chin
• Jowls

Understanding Expectations When Getting a Facelift

Although facelifts can produce impressive results for people seeking a younger facial look, this surgery has potential downsides, including post-operative pain and numbness. Discuss your options and expectations with your plastic surgeon.

How To Determine If You Are An Ideal Candidate For A Facelift

To determine if you are an ideal candidate for a facelift, consult a plastic surgeon. A Palm Beach plastic surgeon can assess your needs based on your age, lifestyle habits (such as smoking), medical history (including allergies), and medications you may be taking that could interfere with healing after the surgery. Your plastic surgeon may also order blood tests and a medical clearance before performing a facelift.

What is Skin Texture?

Skin texture refers to how smooth or rough your complexion appears due to pore size, uneven tone or coloration, sun damage, and acne scarring. Multiple factors can cause these problems, including genetics, lifestyle choices, environmental circumstances (such as sun exposure), reduced collagen production due to age, and genetics.

What Causes Fine Lines?

Repetitive movements like smiling or frowning cause tiny creases in our facial muscles over time, resulting in fine lines. Other causes include dehydration and insufficient amounts of collagen, which lead to thinning facial tissues, resulting in wrinkles and fine lines on our faces.

Why Facelifts Do Not Address Skin Texture And Fine Lines

While facelifts effectively improve some common signs of aging on the face, like jowls, drooping cheeks, and deep creases caused by gravity—they don’t resolve all aging skin issues.

Sun damage, smoking, genetics, and age-related reductions in collagen cause skin texture problems and fine lines. Collagen helps to keep skin smooth and supple by providing structural support and elasticity, but as we grow older, our bodies produce less of it. Over time, sun damage leads to thinning skin with wrinkles or age spots appearing on your face. Since a facelift’s primary purpose is to lift sagging skin on your face and neck, it will not resolve these issues.

Ultimately, a facelift can lift sagging facial tissue and reduce wrinkles caused by gravity. Still, it won’t refresh your skin’s appearance or lessen the visibility of fine lines around your eyes or mouth. However, at Palm Beach Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, we offer other options to accomplish these goals.

Treatments for Skin Texture & Fine Lines

At Palm Beach Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, our Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon has over three decades of experience helping patients achieve their aesthetic goals. We offer several treatments to resolve problems with skin texture and fine lines that facelifts cannot target.

Skin Laser Treatments

Our skin laser treatments reduce facial wrinkles and skin irregularities, including texture, fine lines, blemishes, acne scars, discoloration, and sun damage.

Sciton® JOULE™ - this multi-purpose skincare tool features three distinct delivery modes: arm, fiber, and broadband light, which target four aspects of a woman’s beauty: skin, health, body, and hair. The single platform lasers in the Sciton® JOULE™ can address sun damage, acne scars, age spots, pigmented lesions, and psoriasis, among other issues.

Matrix RF Sublative Rejuvenation - this revolutionary new skin treatment reduces wrinkles, acne scars, stretch marks, discolorations, sun damage, and textural irregularities while tightening skin all in one sitting. The process requires little to no downtime and is clinically proven for all skin types.

Fractional CO2 Skin Resurfacing - Fractional CO2 resurfacing can erase years from your face and dramatically improve the appearance of wrinkles and pigment. Fractional CO2 uses small columns of fractionated energy to ablate areas of damage. Tiny wounds are created, and the surrounding healthy skin assists with healing, using the body’s natural healing mechanisms to make new collagen and elastin.

Chemical/VI Peel - A chemical peel (sometimes called chemexfoliation) is a cosmetic procedure using chemical agents. Vitality Institute (VI) peels are specific types of chemical peels containing trichloroacetic acid, phenol, and salicylic acid to help treat unwanted skin conditions resulting from sun damage, age, and other factors.

Fraxel® Laser Treatment - Fraxel® Laser Treatment (FLT) is a “fractional” treatment that produces thousands of deep, tiny columns in your skin called microthermal treatment zones. FLT is “fractional” in intensively treating old epidermal pigment cells without affecting the surrounding tissue. This process reduces the healing time and promotes the skin’s natural healing process for creating new, heal their tissue to replace the damaged cells.

Laser Photo Rejuvenation (IPL/BBL) - Photo-rejuvenation uses a multi-frequency (NON-ablative) laser pulsed on top of the skin to change the molecular structure and the appearance of aging skin below the surface, giving it a tighter and younger look.

Injectables

Injectable cosmetic surgery procedures can help you achieve a new, youthful look. Also known as fillers, they can create the illusion of fuller cheeks higher, a straighter nose, and a more pronounced jawline and chin.

Sculptra - this FDA-approved injectable helps gradually replace lost collagen—the most common protein in the body that helps to form a framework to support cells and tissue—for results that can last up to two years.

RHA - Unlike some traditional fillers, RHA® (resilient hyaluronic acid) is designed to adapt to the movement of your face for the ultimate natural yet dynamic look.

BOTOX® Cosmetic Injections - safe and effective BOTOX® Cosmetic Injections temporarily reduce expression lines around, between, and above the eyes (forehead).

Dysport® Cosmetic Injections - similar to BOTOX® Prescription Dysport® is an injection temporarily improving moderate to severe frown lines. The untreated facial muscles still work normally, allowing you to freely show facial expressions, such as smiling, in untreated areas.

JUVÉDERM® Injectable Gels - these sugar-based, FDA-approved injectables have a consistent safety track record and don’t require allergy testing. They reduce lines around the mouth and can further enhance the fullness and contour of lips, cheeks, under-eye hollows, and nasal irregularities.

Restylane Injectable Gel - Restylane® is a series of hyaluronic acid facial fillers that can help mitigate the natural aging process by smoothing facial wrinkles and frown lines, firming facial contours, and adding volume to lips and cheeks.

Radiesse - a dermal filler that adds volume to help smooth moderate to severe facial wrinkles and create a stiffer structure.

Palm Beach Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Combines Medical Knowledge with Artistry for a Natural, Refreshed Look

Are you ready to explore the benefits of getting a facelift and the appropriate treatment to improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines? At Palm Beach Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, we combine medical knowledge with artistry to give our patients a natural, refreshed look. Take the first step and schedule a consultation with our patient counselor at (561) 833-4122 or complete our online form.