The Facelift: Making the Decision

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Most of us probably couldn’t afford a facelift, and if we could, it would be a tough decision to make. As people live longer, more active lives well into their 70s, 80s even 90s, there is a desire to fight the ravages of time and stay as youthful-looking as we feel. With improvements in plastic surgery, procedures such as a facelift are becoming an option to more and more people who want their exterior to match the way they feel inside. In a three-part series on Seeking Solutions with Suzanne, we follow one woman, Donna, through her cosmetic surgery experience. In part one, Dr. Louis Bucky, Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and Donna join Suzanne.

Some General Information, Please

According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), approximately 8.5 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States last year, and almost 118,000 of those were facelift surgery.

Facelift surgery, or Rhytidectomy, basically removes excess fat from unwanted places in the face area, adds fat in where it’s needed and tightens up the muscles. Although it takes several hours to complete the surgery, a facelift is outpatient, which means patients usually leave the hospital soon after. Recovery after a facelift can take as little as 3 weeks, but a patient will typically look better within 4 to 8 weeks.

To learn more about the risks involved in a facelift and how to make your recovery speedy after surgery, check out the summaries of our shows, The Facelift: Surgery and The Facelift: Recovery & Results.

Am I a Candidate for Surgery?

Dr. Bucky says all kinds of people are getting facelifts. As a matter of fact, most of his patients are healthy people who feel good about themselves but don’t like the way they look in the mirror. However, a patient must come to Dr. Bucky with a problem he can see and with an appropriate concern for the problem.

The ASAPS suggests the following prerequisites for facelift contenders:

• Deep line, or fold, running from the corner of your nose to the corner of your mouth.
• Jowls, or loss of a well-defined jawline associated with youthfulness.
• Deep wrinkles in the cheeks and sagging of the “highlight” areas of the cheekbones.
• Loose skin, wrinkles, vertical “cords” or excess fatty tissue in the neck.

Donna says she wants to be refreshed and look like herself again. As we age, our skin tends to sag and our appearance changes. Dr. Bucky calls Donna a “classic case,” and will focus on her jaw line, redundancy of skin and skin gravity.

To get rid of Donna’s sagging, her facelift will include lifting up the skin beneath her chin, removing excess skin from the eyelids and injecting fat from her hip around her mouth area. According to Dr. Bucky, Donna’s facelift will last approximately of 7 years.

How Do I Choose a Plastic Surgeon?

The most vital component of any plastic surgery is the surgeon, but how do you find the right one? Fear not, there are a number of steps to take when looking for your plastic surgeon.

First, compile a list of credible candidates; and one way to do it is by word-of-mouth. Ask your friends, your family, your family doctor or a nurse. Call a respected hospital in your area and ask for the names of their board-certified plastic surgeons. Don’t forget to search medical directories or even the yellow pages. You may also want to call the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at 1-800-635-0635, or go online.

After you’ve made your list, the next step to check each doctor’s credentials. Take a look at the surgeon’s training—what type of training did your doctor receive? Did they complete an accredited 2-3-year residency program specifically in plastic surgery? Is your doctor board-certified? These are all questions you should be asking yourself. Don’t be afraid t