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Facelift

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Definition:

A facelift is a surgical procedure to repair sagging, drooping, and wrinkled skin of the face and neck. It is performed to improve visible signs of aging, poor diet, or heredity; it is performed by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and redraping facial and neck skin.

Alternative Names:

Rhytidectomy; Cosmetic surgery of the face

Description:

Sagging or wrinkled skin occurs naturally with increasing age. Folds and fat deposits appear around the neck, and deep flexion creases form between the nose and mouth. The jawline grows "jowly" and slack. Heredity, poor diet, smoking, or obesity may contribute to early or severe skin problems.

A facelift can help repair some of the visible damage to skin, fat, and muscles and can restore a "younger" look. A facelift can be done alone or with nose reshaping , a forehead lift , or eyelid surgery.

While the patient is sleepy (sedated) and pain-free (local anesthesia) or deep asleep and pain-free (general anesthesia), the plastic surgeon makes incisions above the hairline at the temples, behind the earlobe, to the lower scalp.

The surgeon removes some of the fat tissue and loose skin, then stitches (sutures) the incisions closed. The fat tissue is called the SMAS layer and is the primary lifting portion of the facelift.

Indications:

Dissatisfaction with facial signs of aging and otherwise good health.

• Review Date: 11/10/2005
• Reviewed By: Edward W. Chang, MD, DDS, Director of Facial Plastics Surgery Education, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Columbia University-College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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