Facelift Seattle

As a general rule, there's not much pain associated with a Facelift operation. When the neck muscles are tightened in three locations, the patient’s neck becomes rather stiff and sore for a few days after the procedure. For this reason we ask the patients do not drive an automobile. We do not place patients in painful pressure wraps, rather we use Jackson-Pratt drains that are left in for 24 to 48 hours. They're much less painful and accomplish the function of removing the blood and fluid out from underneath the skin to speed up the healing process.

A deep plane facelift involves tightening the fascia layers in the face deep underneath the facial nerve. A high-SMAS facelift procedure is safer because it involves tightening fascia layers above the facial nerve, so there's much less risk of a facial nerve branch paralysis.

A SMAS facelift involves tightening the fascia layers in the face in order to lift the jowls. In our practice, we perform a high-SMAS lower face and neck lift procedure. This accomplishes a better result. SMAS stands for superficial muscular aponeurotic system, otherwise known as the ”facial muscles that are tightened”.

Most patients experience approximately two weeks of visible bruising and swelling after a facelift procedure. In our practice, we insert drains underneath the skin for 24 to 48 hours each help get rid of blood trapped underneath the skin which speeds up the healing process and significantly reduces the bruising associated with the face lift and neck lift procedure.

A comprehensive lower face and neck lift accomplishes rejuvenation of both the face and the neck. The neck lift component of a facelift procedure involves liposuction to remove fat deposits above the platysma muscle, and surgical extraction of the fat deposits below the platysma muscle. A platysma-plasty is then required to tighten the muscles in the neck centrally. The platysma muscle is also tightened laterally behind the ears. Loose and inelastic skin in the neck is also tightened as well as re-suspending and lifting the jowls. There's a small incision underneath the chin, and the other incisions are placed in front and behind the ears.

When patients have a recessive and weak chin profile, then they are a candidate for a chin implant procedure. Chin implants are pre-manufactured in a large assortment of thicknesses, widths, sizes, and shapes. The size and the shape is best determined at the time of the consultation because the chin, the implants, and the mandible are all three-dimensional structures, and the augmentation occurs in all three dimensions. Most of the augmentation for a chin implant occurs in the forward projection, which gives patient’s improved facial balance and proportions, especially from the side the view. Chin implants can be performed under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure, which takes approximately 30 minutes. General anesthesia is usually not required.

When patients have a flat midface and a flat cheek profile, fillers placed in the cheeks offer a temporary augmentation. Juvederm and Restylane are used to temporarily augment the cheeks. Fillers are placed in the office setting. When patients no longer wish to do the temporary injections, then cheek implants offer a permanent augmentation to the mid-face and maxilla. Cheek implants are composed of solid silicone, and are manufactured in a large array of thicknesses, sizes, and shapes, which is best determined at the time of the consultation and examination. In our practice for over 25 years, we have used Implantech brand of solid silicone cheek implants. The implants themselves are placed through an intra-oral approach under a brief general anesthesia as an outpatient procedure. Patients are constantly monitored by physician anesthesiologists throughout the entire course of anesthesia.

The cost of a face and neck lift is directly determined by the amount of time it takes to perform the procedure in a formal operating room, time monitored under general anesthesia by a physician anesthesiologist, and the facelift surgeon’s time to perform the procedure in addition to all the post operative follow-up appointments for one year. A mini lift or a neck lift, do not take as much time to perform, therefore cost less.

In our practice, we do not use any painful wraps or bandages after a face/neck lift procedure. Instead, we use JP drains, which are removed the first or second day after the surgical procedure. The purpose of these drains is to remove blood and fluid out from underneath the skin in the neck. Patients heal easier and faster with the drains in place for a couple of days, rather than extensive bandages and wrapping. The sutures are removed after the neck and face procedure at one week. Anticipate two weeks of visible swelling and bruising after a mini lift or full facelift procedure. Patients are also allowed to apply makeup at one week, as soon as the sutures have been removed. Most patients only take a few medium strength pain pills for the first 2 to 3 days after the procedure.

In our practice, we perform a comprehensive high-SMAS lower face and neck lift. This procedure accomplishes tightening the platysma muscle in three locations in the neck, re-suspending the jowls, tightening the SMAS, which stands for superficial muscular aponeurotic system, and removing fatty deposits in the neck located above and below the platysma muscle. The platysma plasty itself significantly improves the jawline after the fat has been removed in the neck.

There are three anatomical issues that have to be addressed at the time of the consultation and physical examination. These three components are the skin tone in the neck, the location of the fatty deposits in the neck and the platysma muscle itself. If there are fatty deposits in the neck, they can be located above and below the platysma muscle. Liposuction can only remove the fatty deposits above the muscle, while a surgical neck lift is required to remove the fatty deposits underneath the platysma muscle. The determining factor between a neck lift and a lower facelift is going to be the skin tone of the neck. Most patients over 50 years of age are going to require tightening of the loose and elastic skin in the neck itself, which is a lower facelift procedure.

Candidates for a facelift are usually patients who are 50 to 70 years old who are starting to show the signs of aging, which include jowls, turkey neck, and the muscle cords in the neck. A face and neck lift accomplishes tightening loose facial and neck skin, tightening loose facial and neck muscles, removing the fatty deposits in the neck a platysma-plasty in the neck, and lifting the jowls. It's very important to give a rejuvenated look without looking over-pulled.