Facelift

As you age, your facial skin may sag, and a facelift can be performed to address this. The procedure involves tightening and lifting the skin, as well as the underlying muscle and connective tissue, to create a more youthful appearance..

During a facelift, the surgeon makes an incision along the hairline and then reattaches it around and behind your ear.

The surgeon then accesses the muscles and tissues under the skin. If you want to have the nose and lip fold lifted, the incision continues for a few centimeters above the ear. For a jaw and neck area lift, the incision continues for a few more centimeters behind the ear.

The surgeon carefully loosens the skin from the connecting and muscle tissue of the face. The area that is separated is about the same size as the cheek.

The plastic surgeon uses special sutures to tighten the connecting and muscle tissue. <p>The sutures are then carefully tightened. 

The surgeon pulls the skin tight during the procedure and cuts away the excess skin. The skin is then reattached as inconspicuously as possible. Sometimes, the surgeon may place a drain to drain wound fluid. You can often go home 2 to 6 hours after the surgery.

The S-lift is also called a mini-facelift. It is a less invasive surgery with small, almost invisible scars. With this facelift, you can lift the jawline in a subtle way. The degree of change in the neckline will depend on the condition of your skin. This surgery can be performed under local anesthetic

The effect of the treatment is visible for an average of 3 years. As with all facial healthy-aging procedures, we recommend supplementing your skin care routine with skin boosters and filler treatments. These treatments stimulate the skin and provide improved skin structure, more elasticity, and hydration of the skin’s surface.

MACS stands for Minimal Access Cranial Suspension Lift. This is the most common facelift in which the skin of the cheek and the underlying supporting tissue is taken and lifted through the same incision as the S-lift. The neck is not lifted. This lift is suitable for people with moderate signs of ageing.

This lift is more extensive than the S-lift, but still less invasive than a full facelift. This results in a shorter recovery period and smaller scars. Our surgeon uses the SMAS method on this lift. This method reduces the tension on the skin.

The MACS Facelift is ideal if you have mild to moderate loss of skin elasticity and muscle tone and are starting to sag in the middle and under face and jawline.

The benefits of a MACS lift are:

• It is an innovative technique that can only be performed by experienced plastic surgeons
• It can make you look up to 10 years younger
• The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic
• The procedure takes about 2 hours
• Short recovery period (1-2 weeks)
• A relaxed lifestyle can be continued after the procedure
• If the bandage is no problem, you can go back to work in 2-3 days
• Almost invisible scars thanks to the SMAS lift technique

FaceTite is a device designed to tighten the delicate facial and neck skin, restoring a youthful appearance without a surgical neck lift or facelift procedure. Using a small device that looks like a rod, radiofrequency energy will heat the facial tissues along the subcutaneous surface. This treatment instantly firms and lifts the skin, providing results that last for years. FaceTite can dramatically improve the neck, double chin, cheeks and naso-lip folds.

The optimal result of a Facelift is visible after about a year, depending on the chosen procedure. The scars are then completely faded and the skin and underlying muscle and connective tissue are then completely healed. How long the result lasts depends on the chosen lift. The result can remain beautiful for 3 years (S-lift) to 10 years (full Facelift). Of course, this is also influenced by how much you care for your skin and face.

As with all facial anti-ageing procedures, we recommend that you supplement your skin care routine with skin boosters and filler treatments, which stimulate the skin and improve skin structure, elasticity and hydration of the skin’s surface.

After the surgery, you will have a tight band around your head to support the skin, which can only be removed after 3 weeks. After a facelift, you will suffer from swelling for about 2 to 3 weeks. The recovery period after an S-lift is shorter than that of a MACS-lift or an extended Facelift. Of course, everyone heals at a different pace.

You can walk around again one or two days after the surgery, but remember to take it easy for the first week. The surgeon will remove the bandage around the face after a few days. In the first months after the surgery, you will see small changes in the face every week. 

The end result will be visible after about 4 to 6 months. The scars will then be barely visible and the wrinkles and lines on the face and neck will be nicely smoothed.

Of course, how you care for your skin contributes to a better and longer lasting result, so our advice is to supplement your skincare routine with skin boosters and filler treatments that improve and optimize structure, elasticity, hydration, and skin tone. Ask your doctor or our care team about the possibilities.

A Facelift involves the same risks as many other surgeries. For your recovery to proceed as quickly as possible, there are several things to bear in mind:

• You must wear a facial band for three weeks to prevent subsequent bleeding and guarantee the best result.
• Keep the wounds dry until your doctor tells you otherwise.
• You will be given preventive antibiotics. If you are allergic to certain antibiotics, please inform us beforehand.

As with many other surgeries, there are risks with a facelift. Though very rare, possible complications include:

• Bleeding (haematoma).  There is sometimes bleeding after surgery from the tissue around the wound. Should this happens, your face may feel swollen and painful. It may be necessary to drain it by performing an additional procedure and this will require you to go back to the hospital or clinic.
• Infection. It is important to recognize that a surgical incision implies the risk of infection through the bacteria from the patient’s own skin. This potential infection can be accompanied by fatigue, weakness, fever and muscle pain. Antibiotics during your surgery will reduce this risk to a minimum. It is rare that a patient has to be be re-hospitalised. If you experience any symptoms of infection, contact your medical advisor or ring the outside office hours number is necessary.
• Wound healing. How the wound heals varies from one person to the other and even from one body part to the other and is a gradual process. Smoking in the period before and after the surgery can seriously impede the healing process.
• Location and variability of scar. All surgeries leave a permanent scar and patients should be aware that the speed at which their scars heal and fade is completely variable and individual. Sometimes a scar does not heal in the normal way, this is known as hypertrophic scarring. Scars can be red or strongly coloured, thick, painful and it can take several years for them to heal. Although this is an unusual problem, it cannot be avoided or diagnosed in advance.