The battle with aging means you may become unhappy with sagging skin or wrinkles on your face and neck. You may find you have a need to feel younger and look more beautiful. In this case, you may be interested in getting a facelift. Dr. Joseph Russo, a Boston plastic surgeon who specializes in facelifts, can help restore a very natural and healthy appearance to all his patients. Dr. Russo understands your concerns and can help you reach your cosmetic goals.
One of the most common procedures that we recommend to our patients to bring back their youthful appearance is a facelift. Also known as a rhytidectomy, a facelift is a common surgical procedure that can be used to repair sagging skin in the face and neck and can help smooth out the skin’s appearance, reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
A facelift is designed to reshape your face by addressing sagging skin that can be caused by aging, thinning skin, genetics, smoking, sun damage, stress, and/or loss of facial fat through a surgical procedure. This can be achieved by removing excess skin and fat, tightening the underlying muscles to provide support, and re-draping the facial skin.
Facelifts involve surgery that directly addresses concerns with aging, as many people find they’re increasingly unhappy with their appearance the older they get.
A facelift is meant to restore your self-confidence by allowing you to feel comfortable in your skin. While a facelift will not stop the aging process or alter your basic appearance, it will reduce signs of aging on the most visible part of your body - your face.
While not everyone may be ready for a facelift, there are several signs you can look for to let you know if you may be a good candidate for this surgical procedure. These include sagging skin, developing jowls, deepening smile lines, and/or extra skin or fat on your neck that makes it look as if you have a double chin.
A facelift is considered outpatient surgery, so expect to go home the same day. Dr. Russo starts by making incisions along the creases of the facial skin, beginning inside the hairline and running along the temple area towards the ear. The skin is then lifted outward and Dr. Russo begins tightening the underlying muscles to provide more support. Excess skin and fat are then removed, and the incisions are closed with fine sutures. Traditionally, facelifts include the lower half of the face, but our Boston facelift patients usually opt to have a brow lift together with this procedure to maximize results. There are three main kinds of facelifts to consider.
This facelift only focuses on the lower half of your face and includes less recovery time.
During this surgery, the target area includes your eyes and cheeks, which will soften your smile lines by lifting the corners of your mouth.
This kind of facelift targets both the lower and middle parts of your face, as well as the tissue and muscle beneath your skin. Because it repositions skin, tissue, and muscle, it provides the longest-lasting results.
While patients get excellent results from this procedure, very often they opt to combine it with other procedures for a more harmonious final outcome. Combining it with a brow lift, blepharoplasty, or neck lift contributes to taking years off of the appearance of the whole face.
Another popular option is combining the procedure with neuromodulators like Botox or Dysport. This can be an effective approach to achieve comprehensive facial rejuvenating by tightening sagging skin and muscle laxity while smoothing out moderate to severe wrinkles and lines.
For patients who are looking to address a “sunken,” hollow look, fat grafting can be done by removing excess fat from one area of the body and using it to add volume to the face, giving it a fuller, healthier look.
The number of approaches available are almost as numerous as there are patients. Your facial rejuvenation must reflect what you are looking to address and your aesthetic goals for your body. During your consultation with Dr. Russo, you can discuss your options and find out the exact approach you’ll need to achieve stunning results.
After you recover from your facelift procedure, you will notice the skin of your face looks tighter and more well-rested. Once the swelling has fully faded, your face may still feel a little different due to the new tightness, numbness around the incisions, and overall texture.
This sensitivity may take up to four months to completely fade and for you to be fully comfortable in your face. You can also prolong the results of your facelift by protecting it from the sun, using the best skincare products, and following a healthy routine. Dr. Russo can help you form a long-term plan to maximize your results and keep you feeling and looking younger.
After the facelift procedure, patients can expect mild pain, bruising, and/or swelling, which can make them feel tender and sore. Patients will be given oral medication to manage the pain, and patients can shower and resume their daily activities in 2-3 days once the bandages come off.
While facelifts do not have long recovery times, if you combine your facelift with another procedure, that can extend healing times. The recovery time varies for every patient in Boston, but in general, it may be a week until you are ready to return to work. Many patients may require a longer period, but some are able to return to work sooner.
Facelifts can have significant benefits - not only in the way you look but also by boosting your self-confidence and providing a more positive self-image. During your consultation for a facelift Boston plastic surgeon Dr. Russo can review your medical history, examine your face, and determine your overall eligibility.
It is possible to get a facelift at any age as long as you’re in generally good health. What’s important is how to feel about the appearance of your face, neck, and jawline, as a facelift can reshape your facial contours and improve your self-confidence
A facelift is meant to target aging in the neck, jawline, and smile lines. However, it does not address wrinkles in other areas of your face, sun damage, or age spots.
Whenever you have an incision from surgery, there will be a scar. However, Dr. Russo makes the incisions along your hairline and behind your ears, making them not only less visible, but also minimizing their appearance. As they heal, they will also become even less visible
The cost of your facelift depends on which specific procedure you decide to get and if you want to combine it with other cosmetic procedures. Because facelifts are usually elective procedures, you will need to pay the cost yourself. There are financing and payment options available if needed.
This is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures in the United States. Each year, over 125,000 patients have the procedure. While this has been, and remains, a popular procedure for those in their 50s and 60s looking to address aging facial features, a growing number of patients in their 40s have turned to this procedure to address the early signs of aging and maintain their youthful facial features.
The procedure is done under anesthesia, so there is no pain or discomfort during surgery. Dr. Russo will prescribe medication for the soreness and discomfort patients have post-surgery. Bruises, soreness, and pain will fade within a week or so.
All surgeries come with risks, but long-term complications from this procedure are rare. Some potential risks include hematoma, scarring, nerve injury, skin loss, and hair loss.
As with most invasive cosmetic procedures, it is not considered safe to receive this procedure if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is best to wait for six months to a year after delivery before approaching the procedure.
Recovery from surgery is highly individual and based on the health of the patient and the number of cosmetic treatments performed. Generally, Dr. Russo’s patients can resume showering and normal activities in 2-3 days, though some patients may take a week or more to feel 100%.
It is generally considered a permanent procedure, though the normal aging process will continue to affect the face. A mini facelift will last about 10 years, while the full procedure will last around 20, before patients consider a second procedure.
Yes. You can combine the procedure with a brow lift, a blepharoplasty, a neck lift, and dermal fillers, to name a few.
575 Boylston Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459
Your body is constantly changing. Gravity, age, and the elements are constantly pulling at you. But you are not alone in this fight. The doctors and aesthetic experts at Joseph A Russo, MD are also in constant motion, relentlessly innovating better ways to overcome the entropic effects of time and gravity.
A $200 consultation fee is required to book your appointment with Dr. Russo. If you decide to move forward with scheduling your procedure within 1 week of your consultation, we'll apply your consultation fee toward your procedure!
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