What to Expect
- Anesthesia: General
- Length of surgery: 2-4 hours
- Outpatient/inpatient: Outpatient
- Adjunct procedures: Neck Lift, Brow Lift, Blepharoplasty (upper and lower lid surgery), Fat Grafting
- Recovery: 2-3 weeks
The delicate skin of the face is highly vulnerable to gravity, sun damage, collagen loss and other factors that hasten facial aging. Additional influences like genetics, diet and skincare habits also dictate when and where signs of aging emerge. Despite reassurances that lines, wrinkles and sagging skin are a natural part of growing older, their appearance can be frustrating and disheartening.
Facelift surgery (rhytidectomy) is designed to correct facial aging and the associated structural changes. The skilled surgeons at Edina Plastic Surgery use the most advanced techniques to rejuvenate the face and neck, while maintaining a natural appearance and creating the best version of you. Our techniques are designed to make you look younger, healthy and completely natural – without the telltale signs of surgery. Our patients often say they hear “You look great!” from friends, relatives and colleagues who don’t realize they’ve had surgery.
If you are interested in facelift surgery in Edina, Minnesota, schedule a consultation with the board-certified surgeons at Edina Plastic Surgery. Drs. Leigh, Philbin, Stewart and Wilke offer years of experience performing facial plastic surgeries and are committed to providing the highest quality surgical care. Contact us online or at 952-925-1765 to make your first appointment.
Full Focus Facelift at Edina Plastic Surgery
The Full Focus Facelift, the standard approach at our practice, was developed specifically to improve the quality of your results by placing additional effort into your skincare routine before and after your facelift surgery. In addition to the surgery, you are given an entire battery of skincare products and routines that drastically include the quality of your results.
Facelift surgery repositions the underlying soft tissue layers to a more youthful anatomic position in addition to tightening the skin. By including these deeper layers in the lift, a more natural outcome is achieved. Incisions are placed along the hairline and around the contours of the ears to minimize the visibility of postsurgical scarring.
Here is everything a Full Focus Facelift includes:
- Traditional facelift surgery
- Preoperative skincare regimen
- Laser resurfacing
- Photorejuvenation
- Postoperative skincare regimen
- Postoperative shampoo
- Ongoing advanced treatment at Skin Artisans
Personalizing Your Facial Rejuvenation Procedure
Our comprehensive facelift surgery approach addresses the skin, underlying fat, fascia and muscles to achieve the best and most long-lasting result. There are two main types of facelifts: the classic facelift and the modified or mini facelift. The classic facelift provides a more complete lift of the neck, in addition to the face. The mini lift uses a shorter incision and is appropriate for patients who don’t need a neck lift but still desire a lift of the mid-face region and jowls. Your Edina plastic surgeon will evaluate which aspects of your face are exhibiting signs of aging to determine which surgical approach will give you the best result.
Classic Facelift
Full facelift surgery repositions the underlying soft tissue layers to a more youthful anatomic position in addition to tightening the skin. By including these deeper layers in the lift, a more natural outcome is achieved. Incisions are placed along the hairline and around the contours of the ears to minimize the visibility of postsurgical scarring. This technique offers the greatest access to the underlying structures. As such, a classic facelift tends to be ideal for patients who wish to address advanced signs of aging, such as jowling and sagging of the neck.
Mini Facelift
A mini facelift is a less invasive procedure than a full facelift. The primary advantages of this technique are shorter surgical scars, shorter recovery time and less discomfort. A mini facelift can be an ideal option for patients who are no longer seeing the results they want with injectables and are not ready for or in need of a full facelift. Good candidates are individuals with mild to moderate tissue laxity in the lower portion of their faces. A mini facelift is not recommended for patients with significant sagging throughout the neckline.
Facial Fat Transfer
One of the key drivers of facial aging is volume loss. Over time, the fat that gives the face youthful fullness and definition slips away, and the collagen and elastin that support the skin diminish. This overall loss of structure gives rise to wrinkles and sagging tissues. Facial fat grafting can be used in combination with a facelift to restore volume and correct related concerns, such as deep nasolabial folds. In some cases, excess tissues in the deep layer of the face can be used to rebuild volume instead of fat.
Deciding If a Facelift Is Right for You
There is no one-size-fits-all facelift. The procedure is highly customizable, and at Edina Plastic Surgery, we work closely with each patient to develop a surgical plan that is tailored to their needs.
Contrary to popular belief, facelift surgery does not have an age requirement. All of us show signs of aging at different rates, so there is no exact age range when a facelift is appropriate. What matters more is the specific concerns you hope to improve. A facelift concentrates on the lower two-thirds of the face and the neck. If your concerns are primarily located in the upper third of your face, you may be a better candidate for a brow lift or blepharoplasty (upper or lower eyelid surgery). If you desire comprehensive rejuvenation of your entire face, you may wish to combine a facelift with one or two other techniques.
Like any surgery, a facelift should only be considered if you are in good physical and emotional health. Factors such as tobacco use, high blood pressure, obesity or preexisting health conditions may increase your risk for complications and might indicate that surgery is not a safe option at this time. You may also be advised against surgery if you are unable to take sufficient time away from daily responsibilities for recovery.
An ideal candidate for facelift surgery is experiencing tissue laxity in the lower regions of the face, is in good general health, understands the commitment required for a safe and satisfactory outcome, and has realistic expectations about what the procedure can achieve. A facelift is meant to lift sagging skin and subtly enhance your facial features. It cannot completely remodel your facial structure or stop the aging process, but it can help you look and feel your personal best at this stage of life.
Preparing for Your Full Focus Facelift
During your consultation, your surgeon will thoroughly review your medical history, your goals for the procedure and any concerns weighing on your mind. Your surgeon will also conduct a physical examination to assess your facial anatomy, skin type and soft tissue variations. Based on these findings, your surgeon will develop a treatment plan that meets your needs and works with your unique facial structure.
Adjunctive procedures may be discussed to maximize your results. Procedures such as eyelid surgery, a brow lift or volume enhancement with fat transfer are often performed in conjunction with facelift surgery.
Our onsite skin clinic, Skin Artisans, provides dermal fillers, laser treatments and a range of exceptional skincare services that can enhance and prolong your results. Textural concerns can be addressed preoperatively or postoperatively with our facelift plus package.
Before the day of your surgery arrives, you will be asked to follow instructions about smoking, eating and drinking, and taking or avoiding specific vitamins and medications. You will need to arrange for someone you trust to drive you home from surgery and care for you for the first day and night.
The Full Focus Facelift Procedure
Facelift surgery is conducted at our surgery center, a fully accredited facility with essential equipment and staff. While it is possible to perform a facelift with IV sedation anesthesia, patients are typically more comfortable when general anesthesia is used.
The specific steps of a facial rejuvenation surgery are unique to each patient. In general, a traditional facelift begins with an incision that extends from the temporal hairline along the front of the ear. The incision then continues around the earlobe and behind the ear, and ends at the hair-baring scalp line. Once the incision is made, the surgeon can elevate the skin of the cheeks and neck to reduce sagging. The deeper tissues are also lifted and reshaped to restore more youthful definition and contours to the face.
Some areas of the face and neck may be treated with liposuction to improve the facial profile further. The fat that is removed can be injected into areas that could benefit from additional volume. To complete the facelift procedure, the skin is re-draped and trimmed, and the incisions are closed over small drains.
Full Focus Facelift Recovery and Results
About two hours after your surgery, your surgeon will examine you to prepare for your discharge. Our recovery nurse will ensure that your caregiver understands the postoperative care instructions. You will wear a large head dressing overnight. In rare instances, an overnight hospital admission could be required so that the first night of recovery can be monitored.
You will be seen in our clinic the following day. Your surgeon or nurse will remove your drains and ensure that your recovery is on track. While no bandages are usually required, you will look bruised and swollen. If you have stitches, they will be removed within the next week. Your surgeon will provide you with specific instructions regarding activity guidelines and when you can return to work – most likely in one to three weeks after surgery. Recovery from a mini facelift is generally faster and easier than a full facelift.
Our facelift patients appreciate their newly refreshed look. The procedure delivers a tighter, smoother, more lifted and youthful appearance to the lower half of the face and upper area of the neck. The discreet placement of the incisions aims to ensure easy disguising of any postsurgical scarring.
The best facelifts make patients look younger and natural rather than different or “operated on.” With healthy lifestyle habits and diligent skin care, results can last a decade or more. All facelift surgeries at Edina Plastic Surgery include a complimentary HALO laser treatment and BBL (BroadBand Light) treatment, as well as a pre- and post-surgery skincare kit.
The Full Focus Facelift does require some additional steps to take, but they are rewarded with additional benefits as well.
Tailored skincare routines and preoperative skin resurfacing and phototherapy mean a higher baseline of quality skin to work with, and a complete regimen of postoperative skincare by the highly experienced Skin Artisans team means the final results are above and beyond what you would normally attain from a facelift.
Your skincare routine will be dependent on your unique conditions, but we supply all of our Full Focus Facelift patients with HALO and BBL Laser Skin treatment to smooth and enhance your skin texture. This treatment can occur before or after the surgery, depending on your needs.
Your preoperative routine will likely include the following:
- Avéne Thermal Spring Water
- Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion
- Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream
- A-OXitive SOS Antioxidant Sheet Mask
Your postoperative routine is likely to include the following:
- Avéne Thermal Spring Water
- Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion
- Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream
- A-OXitive SOS Antioxidant Sheet Mask
Your Recovery Station
In addition to having a trusted friend or relative with you on the day of your surgery, there are some other preliminary steps you can take to ensure that your recovery is headed in the right direction. We refer to this particular preparation as a “recovery station.” It consists of gathering essential items that you will need during your recovery and placing them near (preferably, within arm’s reach) where you will be resting.
You will not likely be having any nights out in Minneapolis or St. Paul while you are recovering, so having items like electronics, chargers, remotes, books, magazines, snacks, drinks, medications or other little things can help maximize your recovery time and keep you from feeling too stir crazy in those first couple of weeks.
Combining Your Full Focus Facelift with Other Procedures
There are a few different procedures that patients choose to combine with a Full Focus Facelift, and we generally advocate for those combinations for many reasons. The first is that it cuts down considerably on the amount of time a patient is under for anesthesia. When you have multiple surgeries done at once, you don’t need to be placed under various times. It also saves you money in the long run since you only pay for anesthesia and surgical facility fees once.
Here are the most commonly combined procedures:
- Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery) — Lifting your face will have a dramatic impact on your appearance, but if you have wrinkles around the eyes, the results may feel slightly dampened. By tightening both areas of the face, you create a more universally youthful appearance and harmony throughout your facial contours.
- Brow Lift — Just like a blepharoplasty, this combination is all about creating harmony and balance throughout the facial appearance. Droopy eyebrows can create eyes that look tired and have a wrinkled and baggy appearance. Correcting both concerns can do wonders for your appearance.
- Neck Lift — We often focus so much on our faces that we don’t realize when other body parts are beginning to degrade, especially in the neck. Vertical wrinkles on the neck are a tell-tale sign of the aging process, and eliminating them can add a lot of value to your facelift surgery.
- Rhinoplasty (Nose Job) — While it might seem a little disassociated, the results of your facelift will be hugely impactful to your appearance — so much so that you might once again begin to notice other problems that plagued you before wrinkles set in. Many people are discouraged by the shape of their nose, and when you have facial skin that is taut, you want every curve to look perfect. In those cases where the nasal structure may be preventing the ideal aesthetic, rhinoplasty is an ideal solution to finally achieving aesthetic balance.
Request a Consultation Today
For women and men who are accustomed to looking their best, the aging process can bring a great deal of dissatisfaction with the image in the mirror. As we mature, our soft facial tissues slowly drop, creating jowls, lines, creases and a sagging neck that are constant reminders of the years that have passed.
Our board-certified plastic surgeons provide world-class facial rejuvenation procedures, including various techniques for facelift surgery. To schedule your initial consultation with Edina Plastic Surgery, contact us today at 952-925-1765. We will be happy to help you find out if a facelift or a different facial procedure might be right for you.
