Tightening and Smoothing The Face and Neck
As we age, the face and neck naturally sag and wrinkle, like the rest of the skin. We lose much of the tightness we often associate with youthful skin. A facelift, or rhytidectomy, surgically improves the appearance of wrinkles and aging in the face. This procedure can smooth the cheek, rounding it over the cheekbones, and creating a more flush relationship with the eyes.
A facelift is commonly combined with the neck lift procedure, or lower rhytidectomy, which addresses sagging and wrinkled skin in the neck. The jawline and neckline are recontoured, redefining shapes, angles and smooth curves of for a more youthful appearance.
What Can Benefit From a Facelift or Neck Lift?
Patients who desire to enhance the appearance of their face and neck by redraping, tightening, smoothing and contouring the skin in a more permanent and secure way than injectables and other non-surgical procedures should consider a surgical facelift or neck lift. In addition to age, there are other factors that contribute to the loosening of facial skin, including thinning of the skin or loss of fat, sun damage, genetics and more. We do offer various other minor, non-surgical procedures to tightening and contour, but nothing compares to the precision of surgical redraping like a facelift or neck lift!
Reasons To Pursue A Facelift:
Sagging appearance of the face, especially the cheeks
Excess skin at the lower jawline
Deep lines along the sides of the nose and the corner of the mouth
Reasons To Get A Neck Lift:
Loose and sagging skin on the neck
Wrinkles on the neck
Neck banding
Preparing For Your Procedure
If you are thinking about undergoing a surgical facelift or neck lift, it is best to schedule a consultation in the office to learn more about the procedure and see if you are a candidate.
After the initial consultation, we will schedule a “MORPHS” and pre-op appointment. A “MORPHS” appointment is where Dr. Burke will use the patient’s photographs and computer morphing technology to visually map out and plan the procedure. He does this in close conjunction with each patient so that all information, ideas and plans can be carefully considered and shared.
During the pre-op appointment, the patient can discuss their goals for the procedure, as well as any concerns. We will discuss the surgery with you in detail, including pre-operative instructions, desired results and aftercare instructions.
What To Expect?
To begin the surgery, anesthesia will first be administered to put you safely to sleep. There are several types of incisions used for a facelift, but typically Dr. Burke begins the surgery by placing small incisions in the skin between the ear and the hairline. This placement allows the tissues under the skin to be repositioned or removed, while also concealing the incision well. You may require a second incision under your chin to improve your neck further if it has further noticeable aging. The skin is then replaced and closed with stitches or skin glue.
Our Difference
At Dr. Alan Burke: Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery in Richmond, VA, we take a unique approach to facelifts and neck lifts with a deep-plane surgical technique. The secret to natural, youthful-looking results is restructuring the facial features that have become inevitably displaced with age, rather than simply pulling and redraping the skin over the face. The majority of facelifts do not address the deeper structures.
To really turn back the clock, we need to reposition the deeper structures of the face to build a better foundation, which has the most lasting benefits by addressing and reversing the aging changes rather than just masking them. We want to highlight the natural beauty and features of the face. This is not achieved by simply stretching the skin tighter. We don’t want wind-swept, distorted features, but rather a youthful curve, contour and shape. The best results are natural-looking results!
"Dr. Burke has exceptional “bedside manner.” He is warm, caring and makes you feel completely relaxed. And most importantly, he is knowledgeable, concerned, methodical, and wants to get to the bottom of my issues. What a treasure!"
Can Other Procedures Be Combined With Facelift And Neck Lift?
Not only can these two surgeries be performed together, but many other procedures can also be performed with these surgeries, such as a brow lift or an eyelid lift. Fat transfers, fillers and other non-surgical modalities are often also combined with these procedures to maximize results. Talk to Dr. Burke about potential risks and carefully consider your options before deciding to undergo multiple surgeries at one time.
Recovering From A Facelift And Neck Lift
- The convalescence period varies. The more extensive the surgery, the longer the convalescence, but the more impressive, natural and longer-lasting the results may be.
- Although most bruising disappears in just a couple or more weeks, residual swelling may last for a more extended time, maybe even 8-12 weeks.
- Your appearance is generally presentable in 3 weeks, though subtle surgical stigma may persist for 4-6 weeks (can usually be camouflaged).
- Baseline healing is generally achieved at around 3 months, though soft tissue remodeling can take up to 6 months or more, with subtle changes in this time frame.
- Normal activity can be gradually resumed as tolerated after 3 weeks, but strenuous activities should be avoided for another week.
- You will have various follow-up appointments booked prior to surgery, the first being the day after surgery to remove the head dressing and drains, check your incision sites and wash your hair. You will be given a reusable compression head dressing that we encourage you to wear as much as possible to reduce swelling.