What is a Facelift?

While you may think you know what’s involved in facelift surgery, our explanation may come as a surprise!

Plastic surgery treatments have changed and evolved over the years, though the facelift has always been one of the most popular choices. Last year alone there were more than 3,000 facelifts carried out here in the UK and it’s the fourth most popular treatment for women (after breast enlargement, eyelid surgery and breast reduction).

Not surprisingly, there are now a few misconceptions about what constitutes a facelift, the most common being that it involves a tightening of the skin and the lifting of the eyebrows, forehead and eyelids.

This is not the case.

Facial cosmetic surgery can actually concentrate on the lower part of the face – the cheeks, jowl and neck – and involves techniques to tighten and re-shape the soft tissues of the face rather than the skin.

Perhaps the misunderstanding has arisen from the number of celebrities we now see who have had facial plastic surgery and appear to have smooth skin from torso to forehead. It’s important to make the distinction between a facelift, an extended facelift and other procedures which may be carried out to complement the effects of a facelift, including brow lift and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery).

If you are considering having a facelift there are a number of options to think about.

1. A mini or ‘short scar’ facelift, often favoured by younger patients or those with good neck muscle tone. It involves incisions at the front of the ear and addresses the jawline and cheeks as well as the upper neck.
2. A face and neck lift which corrects the jawline, neck and the area under the chin. Patients frequently opt for liposuction of open removal of fat alongside a neck lift. It’s also possible to tighten the neck muscles under the chin, a technique known as platysma.
3. An extended facelift. This is the same as a face and neck lift but also includes the temporal region to improve the appearance of the lateral brow, outer edges of the eyes and the cheeks.
   Facelift surgery can give dramatic results, with most patients looking significantly younger post-surgery, improving their appearance and self-confidence at the same time.

Facelifts are most effective if your face and neck have begun to sag but if you still have some elasticity in the skin, though we will be able to give you a good assessment of the results you’re likely to achieve when you attend your initial consultation appointment with our surgeon, Mr Christopher Jones.

If you are considering any kind of facelift surgery, download our Complete Guide to Facelifts.