Face lift Indications

This operation is done to tighten the loose skin of the face and neck. It does not remove fine wrinkle lines, these require resurfacing of the skin. The forehead and eyelids are not tightened by a face lift. At the same time as face lift Dr. Wittenberg can correct other cause of fullness in the face and neck. One of the most difficult areas to treat is the nasolabial fold, the crease between the nose and the corner of the mouth. For a complete list of our facial surgical procedures click here.

Method:
The method of surgery is to tighten the skin and the underlying muscle of the face and neck. The incision is placed in the natural creases in front of the ear and inside the ear (see fig. below). It extends above the ear into the scalp and behind the ear on the hairline. The operation is done under either local anesthetic (you are awake) or general anesthetic (you are asleep). You can choose. Most of the time this is an outpatient operation and a stay in the hospital is not needed. It is common to perform neck liposuction at the same time as a face lift.

Problems:
All operations have some risk. The risks of surgery are divided into two groups. First those that are seen in all operations and second those that are unique or special for this operation. In the first group, the main risks are swelling, bruising, bleeding, infection, a scar and numbness or change in feeling. The main problem which is special for this operation is damage to the facial or ViIIth nerve. This nerve controls movement of the face.

Postoperative care:
The recovery takes one to two weeks. Most people are happy with the result and back to work within a week or two. We invite you to call our offices to schedule your consultation with Dr. Wittenberg. The Face lift Incision In a standard face lift the incision usually begins in the temple and extends in front of the ear. It continues around the earlobe, up behind the ear and then extends down toward the neck. The skin can then be separated from the underlying tissue and stretched over the ear. At the same time the muscle immediately under the skin (the SMAS layer) may also be tightened. There are many exceptions to this. The most common are:

1. In women the incision is often placed inside the ear rather than in front of it. This helps to make the scar less noticeable but may distort the shape of the ear.
2. In men the incision is almost always placed in front of the ear so that hair bearing skin is not brought inside the ear making it difficult to shave.
3. Behind the ear some surgeons continue the incision straight backward into the scalp, but many surgeons place the incision along the hairline. This is the most common method in men.

All surgery requires a scar, and a face lift is no exception. The scar will be in the same place as the incision. Correction of loose areas in the central parts of the face are less possible than those toward the side. As a general rule the farther the area to be corrected is from the incision, the less the improvement.

For more information
Schedule your consultation with Dr. Wittenberg to discuss this procedure in full. Our experienced and professional office staff members are here to help you with all your questions. Call our offices at (831) 636-9808.