Face Lift Cosmetic Surgery Recovery

Most surgeons who perform face lift cosmetic surgeries finish the procedure in about four hours. Unless medical conditions determine this, these procedures are generally on an outpatient basis. Most patients experience discomfort but pain medication is prescribed to combat this. Face lift bruising is apparent in the first 24 hours after surgery. Drainage tubes are applied to alleviate swelling and to help the excess blood to drain. Your medical professional determines whether to keep these tubes in place for a few more days. Your face will be swollen for several weeks, this varies with each person. Just try to lay low for the first couple of weeks after your face lift cosmetic surgery procedure. To be safe, allocate at least three months to completely heal.

Face Lift Cosmetic Surgery -- Main Steps

There are many types of face lift cosmetic surgeries but they are all performed basically the same. Here are the main steps in performing this procedure:

Anesthesia is given. Your medical professional will determine if your face lift cosmetic surgery will need general anesthesia or if you can have a lesser combination of a mild sedative, local anesthesia, and a intravenous anesthesia. Many of the simpler, less intensive face lifts only require a local anesthesia.

Now your surgeon will make the necessary incisions. Great care is taken to place the incision in the natural crease of your skin so it is less likely to be seen. Many patients opt to grow their hair longer to hide the incisions.

At this point, your surgeon will perform undermining of the skin. Skin and or fat may have to be removed or skin may just be reshaped. After the face lift cosmetic surgery procedure is completed, the skin is draped and stapled in place.

Face Lift Cosmetic Surgery and Smoking

Be prepared to quit smoking before your face lift cosmetic surgery. Your medical professional will insist on this and some recommend that patients stop smoking at least a month prior to the surgery. The reason why your medical professional considers this a must is because blood flow is reduced to areas of the face when one smokes. The frightening fact is that one in ten smokers will have skin death, or necrosis, at the incision if they continue to smoke prior to the face lift cosmetic procedure. Necrosis makes the edges start to come apart and the wound may turn a violent black and reddish tone. A few stubborn cases may need a skin graft, which is another surgical procedure where a patch of skin is removed from another area of your body and transplanted onto your wound.

Face Lift Cosmetic Surgery Preparation, Part II

Let's talk about what happens after you have made the decision to have a face lift cosmetic surgery procedure. You have chosen your surgeon. Your procedure has been scheduled. Now the surgeon will give you instructions to prepare for the operation. Often times, this includes stopping certain medications that have been known to increase risk of bleeding. These include: aspirin, blood thinners, vitamin E, green tea, gingko biloba, omega3 fatty acide, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Be cautious because just because a label says "all natural" does not mean it is safe. If you have any questions at all, ask your medical professional. In a previous consultation, you should have told your doctor every drug or medication that you are taking. If your surgeon suggests that you stop taking a certain medication, make sure you tell the medical professional that prescribed the medication to you. Better safe than sorry and you do not want to stop taking medication of you absolutely need it.

Face Lift Cosmetic Surgery Preparation, Part I

Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing for a face lift cosmetic surgery. First of all, you will need to sit down with your medical professional and discuss the procedure and what you want out of this. Your surgeon will need to figure out if you are healthy enough to go through a face lift cosmetic surgery procedure. You will need to be honest and thoroughly tell her about your medical history. She will then need to evaluate your bone structure, the condition of your skin, whether you have wrinkles or folds, and even look at your hairline to determine where the incisions will be placed during the face lift cosmetic surgery procedure. Your medical professional will need to know what you expect out of the procedure. She will probably take several photographs of your face for her medical files.

Face Lift Cosmetic Surgery Procedure

Face lift cosmetic surgery is also known as Rhytidectomy, or a traditional face lift. Some people go for the quick and easy fix, and opt for injectables and fillers but now a growing number of cosmetic surgery patients have determined that these are a poor substitute for the traditional face lift. Some of the reasons why people are opting for a face lift cosmetic surgery is that a traditional face lift can last for over ten years versus injectables and fillers which will have to be redone several times a year. Face lift cosmetic surgery can correct many things on a persons face such as:
- Sagging in the middle of the face
- Creases along the nose extending to the corner of mouth
- Creases under the eye
- Fat that is not where it should be
- Jowls under the face
- Excess fat and loose skin under the chin and jaw that makes a person look overweight.