Environmental factors, stress, genes, and the natural aging process can all cause the facial skin to sag, creating a tired or worn-down appearance that does not accurately reflect the vibrancy a person feels inside. For many, facelift surgery is the solution to restoring a more youthful look. Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon with exceptional skill in facelift techniques and full facial rejuvenation. Patients from Newport Beach and throughout Orange County know her state-of-the-art plastic surgery center, LEA Plastic Surgery, for its deep focus on patient care and consistently beautiful and natural-looking results.
- What is a Facelift?
- Traditional Facelift vs. Mini Facelift
- Deep Plane Facelift
- Customizing Full Facial Rejuvenation with a Facelift
- Should I get a Facelift?
- Your Facelift Initial Consultation
- Preparing for facelift Surgery
- The Facelift Procedure
- The Recovery after Facelift Surgery
- What Are the Possible Side Effects or Risks of facelift Surgery?
- Frequently Asked Questions about Facelift
What is a Facelift?
A facelift is a cosmetic surgery that revitalizes the lower-to-mid area of the face and neck to present a more youthful look. It eliminates loose skin in the cheeks and jawline, removes facial wrinkles, and vanquishes jowls by tightening and excising extra skin. During a facelift, the physician stretches back the skin to contour the face and target common signs of facial aging while simultaneously shaping and firming up underlying tissue.
Traditional Facelift vs. Mini Facelift
With regular facelifts, the doctor also performs a neck lift to curtail the drooping of the neck and jowls. Typically, it is crucial to clear away the “turkey neck” or “turkey wattle” look in order to get good outcomes from a facelift. In some cases, nevertheless, one does not require a comprehensive facelift and a mini facelift could allow people to attain their ambitions. A mini facelift generally takes care of just the realm from the cheeks to the jawline.
Deep Plane Facelift
While a traditional facelift (also known as a SMAS facelift) addresses the lateral part of the skin and SMAS layer of the face, a deep plane facelift goes a step further. It lifts the face’s underlying structures especially those medially/ centrally, including muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue. This approach addresses specifically the aging areas of the face such as the nasolabial folds, jowls, and peri-oral laxity, and the results are natural, avoiding the windswept or “overdone” look that SMAS facelifts can sometimes produce. Results also tend to last longer with a deep plane facelift than a traditional SMAS facelift.
Customizing Full Facial Rejuvenation with a Facelift
Nowadays, customized facelift procedures can be tailored to meet the individual needs of both men and women. Additional treatments such as brow lifts and eyelid surgery may be included in the patient’s plan to address their specific facial aging issues. Furthermore, combining Fat transfer treatments with a facelift helps to replace lost volume as well as provide a more natural-looking outcome.
It is important to note that facelift surgery addresses only the quantity of skin, not the quality of the skin. To improve skin quality and treat problems such as dark spots, thinning of the skin, acne scarring, and fine lines, laser treatments or other collagen-boosting facial rejuvenation procedures are often what physicians recommend.
Should I get a Facelift?
Selecting plastic surgery is an individual choice that depends on various elements. Generally, those who want to opt for facelift surgery must be in good physical condition and non-smokers without other medical problems that can disrupt the recovery period. Furthermore, the patient should have a positive attitude and reasonable expectations of the outcomes of full facial surgical treatment.
Most facelift patients are between the ages of 40 and 70 years of age, though this age range does not limit your candidacy. The best way to determine if you are a good candidate for the surgical procedure is to schedule a facelift consultation with a facial plastic surgeon to discuss your goals.
Your Facelift Initial Consultation
Patients interested in full facial rejuvenation and Facelift should schedule a consultation at our office as a first step. During this initial meeting, prospective patients should discuss their surgical goals, any medical conditions, previous surgeries, and current medications. Patients should come prepared with a list of questions. However, our knowledgeable plastic surgeon Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva will often answer questions before patients even ask them!
She will discuss your goals for facial surgery with you and may suggest alternative or complementary procedures depending on your desired outcomes. You can bring photographs during the consultation and the doctor will measure and examine your face to recommend the best treatment plan.
During the initial meeting, we will also discuss the type of anesthesia for the procedure. Most facelift surgery patients choose intravenous sedation with local anesthesia over general anesthesia. However, we will personalize this depending on the extent of the surgery and the needs and desires of the patient.
Preparing for facelift Surgery
Before having a full facial rejuvenation surgery, our surgeon may ask patients to have lab testing or a medical evaluation. You should stop using certain medications or at least adjust them as directed.
It is essential to stop smoking at least two weeks prior to a facelift. Additionally, you must avoid taking aspirin or any anti-inflammatories for the week or two before surgery, as they may cause excessive bleeding. Before you head into the operating room, make sure someone can drive you there and back, as feeling drowsy afterward is normal.
The Facelift Procedure
Our beautiful surgical facility, GALEA Center for Advanced Surgery, is located right next door to LEA Plastic Surgery. Patients do not need to visit a hospital as our state-of-the-art outpatient ambulatory surgery center is Medicare Accredited, offering the highest level of safety and comfort for patients.
We perform facelifts in Newport Beach on an outpatient basis at our Orange County surgery center. Once the anesthesia has been administered, the lifting procedure can begin. A traditional facelift involves an incision at the hairline near the temples that extends down to the base of the ear and back behind the earlobe.
Depending on the patient’s needs, fat may be redistributed using liposuction. The underlying tissue is repositioned and the deep layers of the face and muscles are lifted. Finally, the excess skin is trimmed and the skin is gently pulled back and sutured to create a naturally rejuvenated appearance. This will also reduce the appearance of wrinkles in some areas of the face.
If it is part of the treatment plan, a second incision is made beneath the chin to lift the skin of the neck, allowing Dr. Ho Taghva to begin removing excess skin and fat. This is known as a neck lift, a procedure that is often performed as part of a facelift. Many patients will also opt to undergo an eyelid lift or brow lift in conjunction with a facelift. The procedure can take several hours, depending on the extent of the treatment plan.
The Recovery after Facelift Surgery
Immediately After Facelift Surgery
Straight after facial plastic surgery, discoloration and inflammation will inevitability manifest. Normally this persists for two to three weeks, yet some people recover faster than others. After the operation, it is prudent to have a friend or family member look after you for at least the first night. Patients should take pain medications as prescribed by the doctor.
Two Days After Surgery
On the second day after your surgery, Dr. Ho Taghva will schedule a follow-up visit where she will change the surgical dressing. She will also evaluate the incisions. If everything looks normal, she will redress the area and review all post-operative care instructions.
The First Week After Surgery
Generally, by days four to six, most people can stop taking pain medications. Swelling should have gone down somewhat and you can start to be more active. From days 7-14, some swelling and bruising may remain in the face, however, it will have significantly subsided by this point.
Sometimes the physician can remove the sutures as early as one week after surgery, some other times it might take two or three weeks. Most people are ready to return to work two weeks after surgery. Patients will need to postpone exercise for several more weeks. It’s important to understand that recovery times vary from patient to patient.
What Are the Possible Side Effects or Risks of facelift Surgery?
When considering a facelift, it is important to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon to reduce risks. Still, all surgeries do involve the possibility of complications, so patients should be aware of things such as:
- Bleeding
- Bruising
- Anesthesia complications
- Facial nerve damage
- Hematoma
- Infection
- Hair loss at the incision site
- Numbness
Why Should I Choose Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva?
Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva is one of the top Facelift surgeons in Newport Beach and Orange County. Patients from all over the country and those local to Southern California, travel to LEA Plastic Surgery for a facelift. Some patients even travel internationally for her expertise.
Due to her many years of experience performing facelifts, Dr. Ho Taghva is familiar with the delicate complexities of facial features. She is an exceptional surgeon who is:
- Board-certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Received additional post-residency training in Korea for Asian Aesthetic Surgery
- Experienced in a diverse range of surgeries including both Western and Asian rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, breast lift, full facial rejuvenation, facelifts, and endoscopic brow lifts
- Understands both Western and Asian cultural background
- Highly skilled in cosmetic surgery and provides natural-looking changes that match each patient’s goals, add beauty, and bring facial harmony while preserving unique aesthetics
- Keenly attuned to the delicate complexities of the nose and facial features
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Frequently Asked Questions about Facelift
While recovery time is different for everyone, bruising and swelling should last only about two to three weeks. During this recovery process, patients may not be ready to return to work, but they often feel much better after the first few days.
Regardless of gender, the goal of a facelift is the same, however, the surgical approach varies. Aiming to help restore a more youthful look, men and women typically have different expectations when it comes to how their specific facial characteristics will be treated by the procedure.
Men usually show more interest in getting a detailed facial outline, such as a slender jawline. Women furthermore have the same wish for improved definition but generally want a subtler effect. The incision sites may also be diverse depending on a patient’s gender. Males with hair lines that are beginning to draw back might gain from cuts made in some other regions than those generally applied in facelift surgery.
A full facelift provides the most dramatic results, which can last up to 15 years and help to slow down the facial aging process. Mini facelift surgery results last between two to six years on average.
By following healthy lifestyle habits and a consistent skincare routine, the effects of facelift surgery can last many years. The aging process cannot be stopped; yet, a facelift can offer a kind of “reset” for your appearance.
Facelift surgery can help you maintain a youthful appearance, so it’s crucial to maintain the effects by eating a healthy diet, managing your weight, wearing sunscreen when outdoors, and creating an effective skin care regimen.
Patients often find that a facelift gives them features that make them look 10-15 years younger, with potential results further increased by adding surgeries like eyelid lifts and other facial enhancements to create an overall more youthful look.
While there are no nonsurgical procedures that can replicate the results of a surgical facelift, there are effective alternatives for patients with less severe facial aging or less sagging skin. Non-surgical “facelift” procedures include non-invasive techniques to address fine lines, deep creases, sunken cheeks, etc. Some of the available options for people who are unable or unwilling to undergo surgery include:
Thread lifting
Vivace (microneedling enhanced with radiofrequency energy) with growth factors
Laser skin resurfacing
Liquid facelift with dermal fillers
Botox
Chemical peels
If you live near Newport Beach, CA, LEA Plastic Surgery offers facelift surgery among its services and is conveniently located at 20360 SW Birch Street Suite 180 Newport Beach, CA 92660
