Basic Facelift Information

We've created basic descriptions and explanations of the most popular procedures for you to help you figure it all out - the first is on facelifts...

Facelift (Rhytidoplasty)

The best candidate for a facelift is a man or woman whose face and neck have begun to sag, but whose skin still has some elasticity. There is no need to wait until hanging folds or almost irreversible changes have taken place. While the facelift procedure is probably the most sought after within the over 40's group, increasingly these are being carried out on younger patients. In fact these days, many patients prefer earlier corrections to maintain youthful appearances, and therefore avoid living through a period of looking "old and tired".

The incisions used for both men and women are the same, although there is a slight difference, as result of the hair bearing nature of the male facial skin. Generally speaking the incision starts high in the temple area (hidden by the hair at this point) then courses down in front of the ear round the earlobe and up behind the ear before curving gently back into the hairline of the neck. It may on occasion, be necessary to add an incision in under the chin. A facelift can be performed either with local anaesthesia or a full general anaesthetic. This may also depend on whether you will be having extra work done to the eyes or brow area. Surgery for a facelift can take between 2-3 hours, although this takes longer when combined with additional surgery i.e. eyelid surgery.


Facial Fillers

Restylane and Outline effectively improve the most common initial signs of ageing, between the eyes (Glabbelar) nose to mouth depressions lines (Naso labial) and fine line around the lips. These products do not need allergy tests and the results can be seen immediately. Fillers involves injecting a substance into the skin to correct wrinkle, depressions, and scarring. When injected beneath the skin, fillers plump up the line depressions and fill out sunken areas of the face. They can also add fullness to the lips and cheeks.


Laser Skin Resurfacing

Lasers in medicine have been around for a number of years and have always been synonymous with "state of the art". Through constant development and research, laser technology eventually linked with computer technology, and the skin- resurfacing laser was created. Although many lasers now exist for different purposes, the carbon dioxide laser has emerged as the mainstay of treatment of wrinkles and scarring. It is thus very effective in rejuvenating ageing skin particularly around the mouth and eyes. Often the procedure is done in conjunction with another cosmetic operation such as a facelift or eyelid surgery. Certain skin blemishes, moles and warts can also be addressed with the carbon dioxide laser, It should be noted however that laser resurfacing is basically confined to treatment of the face and its suitability for treatment of the neck, hands and other areas has not been fully established.

It is important to understand that only finer lines can be completely eradicated with this procedure. Deeper wrinkles or smile lines etc. can only be reduced in depth and not removed altogether. In these cases, the improvements are in the order of about 50%. Additionally laser skin resurfacing will not remove dynamic lines where the skin is attached to the muscle, such as the nasolabial (nose to mouth) lines.

Laser resurfacing is a clinically induced burn; the software within the machine allows the surgeon to regulate the depth of penetration to safe levels, in order to allow even delicate areas of the face to be treated. The technique works by passing a beam of laser light of high power but very short duration (seven millionths of a second) onto the skin surface. It is in fact this phenomenal speed, which limits the spread of the generated beat to deeper tissues, thereby limiting any risk of scarring. Patients with darker skin such as those of Asian or Mediterranean background are at a higher risk of colour changes developing after the treatment and therefore will be advised accordingly.