DR FAIZAL ALI       

PLASTIC, RECONSTRUCTIVE AND COSMETIC SURGEON

As with any surgical procedure, there is the small possibility of complication. In facelift surgery possible complications that can happen are,

Wound infection

Poor wound healing (higher risks in chronic smokers) Unfavorable scarring

Bleeding (hematoma)

Anaesthesia risks

Hair loss at the incisions

Facial nerve injury resulting in facial muscle weakness Facial asymmetry

Numbness or other changes in skin sensation Fat necrosis

Fluid accumulation

Skin contour irregularities

Skin discoloration, sensitivity or swelling

Possibility of revision surgery

The dressings are usually removed 1 to 2 days later. The drainage tube will be removed 1 to 2 days after the surgery. Your doctor will remove your stitches within 5 to 10 days. You will be prescribe medicines to relieve pain after the surgery. Expect to have swelling and bruising of the face. Cold compresses can help relieve these side effects.

It is important to avoid smoking and even second-hand smoke for 2 to 4 weeks before and after surgery. Tobacco smoke increases the risk for skin and tissue death and will delay your face's healing process and make scarring worse. Most people can return to their normal activities 2 to 3 weeks after a face-lift. At first your face will feel stiff and will probably look and feel strange to you. This is normal, but it is important to be prepared for it. Numbness of the skin may last for months after the surgery. Your skin may feel rough and dry for a few months. Men sometimes have to shave in new places because the skin has been rearranged, but laser hair removal or electrolysis can be used for beard hairs that have shifted to a new position.

FACELIFT

Facelift or rhytidectomy is a cosmetic surgical procedure to reduce the visible signs of aging in the face and neck. As we get older we develop some visible signs of aging such as,

Sagging in the midface

Deep creases below the lower eyelids

Deep creases along the nose extending to the corner of the mouth

Fat that has fallen or is displaced

Loss of muscle tone in the lower face may create jowls

Loose skin and excess fatty deposits under the chin and jaw can make even a person of normal weight appear to have a double chin

Face lift surgery tries to correct this changes. The approach to face lift often begins with skin incisions in front of ear, extending upward to the hairline at the temples and continues below and behind the ear. Fat tissues from the face, jowls and neck are sculpted and redistributed. the underlying deeper tissues named the SMAS layer of facial tissues and muscles are also lifted and repositioned. The facial skin is then redraped over the uplifted contours and excess skin is trimmed. At the end of the surgery, drains (tubes to remove fluid from the wounds) are often inserted and incisional wounds are closed with sutures