An Albuquerque Facelift can dramatically enhance the overall appearance of the face, giving it a youthful look by removing excess skin and fat. It is very effective in eliminating the jowls and some wrinkles of the mid- and lower-face. Blepharoplasty, forehead brow lift and fat grafting are ancillary procedures often incorporated to achieve a complete facial rejuvenation.
Eliminate Deep Creases
For the deep creases of the cheek and jowling, this is the procedure to tighten face and neck areas. It, however, does not change the forehead or crow’s feet areas of the face. It generally will not improve the lip wrinkles either. It also does not change the character of the skin. Whatever sundamage is there will remain.
Anesthesia options for facial surgery include conscious sedation or full general anesthesia. Dr. Chen prefers conscious sedation for many of his procedures. During surgery, the patient is given sedation and pain medication to reach a “dream state.” Additional local anesthesia is then administered to the surgical sites. As the procedure goes on, the patient will gradually wake up more but will not experience pain. Dr. Knotts usually prefers general anesthesia for his facelift procedures, but this is an individual discussion with each patient. The incisions generally follow the crease between the ear and the face in the front and trace along the crease behind the ear. Typically the incisions heal very well and the scars are quite acceptable.
Removing Excess Fat if Necessary
Patients with excess fat as well as loose skin may be candidates for liposuction at the same time as the facelift. If the fat is judged to be in the deeper compartments of the neck during the consultation, a small incision under the chin area may be needed to remove the fatty tissue. The skin is ultimately redraped around the now smaller face, but this is usually after addressing the fibrous layer of the face knows as the SMAS. This layer of tissue is in continuity with the platysma muscle layer at the neck. Elevating and applying tension to this layer allow us to tighten the face without giving the face a “wind-blown” look.
Removing Excess Skin
Excess skin is then removed and multiple layers of small stitches are placed. This is followed by a mildly compressive dressing around the face. Some patients will have drains after this procedure, depending on their anatomy. Patients are seen the next day and the dressings are removed at that time. Any dissolvable sutures will not need removal, and any permanent sutures are removed over the next 1-2 weeks.
Recovery
There is usually no significant pain after surgery but some ache and sensation of tightness are common. Antibiotic and pain medication are prescribed before surgery and taken during the first few days after surgery.
There will likely be mild bruising for a week for most people, primarily at the lower cheek and neck areas. I recommend a warm compress starting the second day to facilitate resolution of bruising. Do not do vigorous exercise, lift, or strain in the first week to avoid bleeding from the surgical sites. Make sure adequate fluid is consumed and stool softener is recommended to avoid constipation, which can occur with use of pain medication.
Some people do not need full facelift, however. In particular, people who have no significant fatty excess but moderate skin laxity.
More information comparing full facelift and mini facelift can be found here. See also the examples in our facelift photo gallery.
Related Articles
- How a Face Is Done in which I discuss the method I perform a facelift. There are many ways to do a facelift, depending in part on the surgeon’s training and experience.
- When to Consider a Facelift discusses the areas that can be improved.
- See also Type of Facelift.
- Facelift FAQ
