By the time you’re 40, early signs of aging have already started to set on your face. Vertical lines around your lips start to appear, and so do wrinkles on your forehead and jawline. The area around the eyes also starts to show signs of aging. With each decade, these lines deepen and skin begins to sag. By the time you are 60, you’re looking like a wrinkled and drooping version of your old self.
They say you’re only as old as you feel. But the sight of a wrinkled, sagging face in the mirror every day can affect your self-confidence and self-esteem, diminishing your otherwise energetic spirit.
How Age Affects Your Facial Skin
By the time you’re 60, you may experience the following changes in your face:
• Deepening forehead lines and hollow temples
• Deepening vertical lines and wrinkles around your lips
• Significant sagging of the eyebrows, making your eyes look tired and small
• Drooping of the tip of the nose
• General facial sagging as a result of loss of facial skin elasticity
• Drooping jowls appear that cause a loss of definition in your lower jawline
You can correct many of these aging issues through a facelift procedure.
What Is a Facelift?
A facelift, clinically called a rhytidectomy, is a plastic surgery procedure that removes excess skin and tightens the facial skin. It can also tighten underlying muscle tissues as needed.
The facelift is an outpatient procedure that usually takes two to five hours to complete depending on the extent of the facelift. The patient can go home on the same day of the surgery.
The Facelift Procedure
There are many types of facelift procedures, and your plastic surgeon will discuss your options with you during a consultation. The choice will typically depend on the degree of change you are looking for.
A traditional facelift surgery involves incisions behind the ears following the hairline. The skin is then lifted off the facial muscles and fat and brought in an upward direction, and excess skin is removed. The tissues are also tightened during the process.
Sutures are used to close the incisions. If the surgeon thinks it is required, drains may be placed behind your ears for removal of excess fluids and blood. These drains are removed in a couple of days.
It is amazing how patients can shed several years of age by getting a facelift. Being old shouldn’t mean that a person can’t feel good about how they look.
Interested in Learning More About What a Facelift Can Do for You?
Dr. Morwood has over 20 years’ experience as a plastic surgeon, he is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, he is a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and for years he has served as either the chief or vice chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery of Monterey.
For more information about Dr. Morwood or if you would like to schedule a consultation, please contact us here.
