Face Lift

Traditional facelifts often focused on stretching skin backwards towards the neck and ears. This sometimes gave the face a very stretched appearance. This type of lift can also flatten the cheeks. Even the corners of the eyes or the mouth would sometimes be pulled sideways. A deep plane facelift uses a vertical vector to lift tissues upwards rather than backwards. This creates a much more natural facial contour. The cheeks become volumised, corners of the mouth can be altered from downward pointing to slightly upward. The actual best angle that tissues need to be lifted tends to become more vertical as we age and needs to be customised to each patient.

A deep plane facelift may need to be combined with a procedure in the midline of the neck called a platysmaplasty. The free edges of the platysma muscle often sag down into the neck creating two vertical lines an inch or so apart from the midline. A small incision may need to be made just under the chin to identify these muscle bands and suture them together. This creates a type of muscle sling that can be used to lift up any loose fat in the neck. The incision under the chin is very well hidden. In the majority of patients the deep plane facelift creates sufficient lift that a platysmaplasty is not necessary.

Image below depicts the underlying muscle bands of the platysma being sutured back together as a platysmaplasty

You can expect bruising of some areas of the facial and neck skin for at least two to three weeks after a deep plane facelift. Swelling of the face occurs the morning after surgery and typically lasts longer than bruising. The swelling will be significantly improved by 2 weeks but will continue to decrease in size over around 6 weeks. If due to work or social commitments, you want almost no visible evidence of healing after a facelift, you may need to wait at least 6 weeks. Scars can stay a red colour for much longer before finally fading to white.

The bruising and swelling in the face from a deep plane facelift is less than with a standard SMAS facelift. This is because the deep plane technique is performed in a natural tissue plane layer that does not usually have many blood vessels within it. In addition, the attachments from the skin to the SMAS layer underneath it is left undisturbed for most of the face, again leading to less skin bruising and swelling. SMAS facelifts typically disrupt the attachments between the skin and SMAS.

Typically, patients feel little to no pain after surgery. Head elevation and cold compresses can be helpful to assist with reducing swelling.

You will be required to wear a facial compression garment during the first 2 weeks and then our surgeons will advise you the process from that stage, depending on your progress.

The deep plane facelift leaves the most hidden scars of any facelift surgery but they are never totally hidden. Since the tissues are lifted in a deep layer, little to no tension is placed on the skin. This allows the skin edges to heal close together with the best possible scars. Over 12 months, scars will appear as very fine lines, almost invisible. Another key benefit is that this technique can help prevent the earlobes from being pulled downwards which can create a deformity, although this risk is not totally removed.

1. More natural results by repositioning the SMAS and platysma layer
2. Restoration of natural volume an elevation of the cheeks (no need for fat grafting or facial implants)
3. Shorter recovery time
4. Better scars
5. Longer lasting result
6. Improved nasolabial folds
7. Smoother skin

General anaesthesia can cause an unpleasant or unexpected reaction; however, a qualified anaesthesiologist should be able to identify emerging problems before they become worse.

Face lift patients are at risk of developing an infection during and immediately following their surgery. A clean, sterile, operating room lessens the risk of contracting an infection during the surgery.

After surgery, the risk of infection increases if the surgical wound is not properly cared for. Your surgeon will have specific instructions for removing/changing bandages, exposing your wound to water, and keeping it clean. Note that it is normal to have some bleeding and leakage after surgery, but if the surgical wound is unclean, the risk of infection rises. Most infections following face lift surgery are the result of the patient’s failure to properly care for their surgical wound during their recovery.

Each patient will heal at his or her own pace. That being said, young patients in good physical condition typically heal faster than older or less physically fit patients. Tenderness, bruising, pain, and swelling usually subside after about four to six weeks. Patients who experience significant discomfort after six weeks have passed are considered to be healing slowly.

Smoking or exposure to cigarette smoke decreases the size of blood vessels, complicating circulation of oxygen to the skin cells.

Hematomas can be a serious problem. A collection of blood in a body cavity, a hematoma may cause pain, infections, scar tissue, or other issues. A sudden change in colour or contour of your skin is a warning that you may be developing a hematoma. Patients with this possible complication should contact their physician immediately so treatment can happen immediately.

In rare cases, a nerve may be cut, nicked, or cauterized, causing numbness or facial paralysis. Fortunately, when this does occur, the damage is not always permanent.

Some patents may experience a loss of sensation following their facelifts. While this can be a sign of nerve damage, it can also be a passing side effect that should resolve itself within a few weeks.

Although there will always be some scars remaining after a facelift, in most cases, they are hidden and over time will fade to a fine line. Occasionally, there may be some faint marks that are not concealed behind the ear or in the hair.