A Facelift or Facelift is a cosmetic procedure aimed at tightening the skin of the face on the cheeks, forehead or neck. It thus falls under the field of plastic and aesthetic surgery and is a very common cosmetic operation.
What is a facelift
Under a Facelift, also known under the German term facial tightening, experts understand a surgical procedure from the field of cosmetic surgery.
As the name suggests, the facial skin is tightened by pulling it smooth and then sewing it so that it looks natural and no seams are visible. In this way, wrinkles should disappear and a generally younger and fresher appearance should be achieved. The first reports of facelifts are known from the early 20th century.
Nowadays, the surgeons have different methods at their disposal with which the desired tightening of the facial skin can be achieved. Like any operation, this procedure also involves risks that, in the worst case, can have a lasting negative impact on the patient's appearance and health.
Function, effect & goals
A Facelift is a surgical procedure that in most cases has no medical need. It therefore takes place at the request of the patient who is no longer satisfied with his appearance.
Mostly, these are middle-aged people who want a younger appearance. The decreasing volume of the skin and tissue with age is compensated for by "smoothing". The operation is carried out by plastic surgeons, but also by ENT doctors, ophthalmologists or facial surgeons. The principle of the facelift is to artificially tighten the skin and the underlying tissue. In most cases, it is not the epidermis that is tightened, but the subcutaneous tissue or the underlying structures.
This is to ensure that the effect lasts for a particularly long time after the procedure. The affected skin and muscle parts of the respective region are tightened in different directions. The skin is then sewn in such a way that the seams are not visible if possible and there is no tension on the facial skin.
Excess skin is surgically removed. Different threads are used for sewing. The performing surgeon has the option of performing the facelift in a minimally invasive manner or with the aid of centimeter-long incisions.
The first variant leaves significantly fewer scars - it is not possible to remove the excess skin in this way, so that this type of procedure cannot always be carried out (it is usually only used for forehead lifts). The most common facelifts affect the cheek, forehead or neck area. After the operation, the healing phase takes up to eight weeks.
During this time there is usually swelling and discoloration of the face, so that the patient's ability to socialize is significantly limited. How fast and how well the healing actually takes place also depends on the patient himself and, last but not least, on the professionalism of the procedure carried out.
Risks, side effects & dangers
Like any operation, there is also a Facelift certain risks and side effects. Since the procedure is performed under general anesthesia, the general physical condition of the patient must be examined in advance in order to rule out complications from the anesthesia.
If there are problems with the wound healing after the procedure, these are usually clearly visible, which can represent an additional psychological burden for the person concerned. If the sutures do not heal completely, unsightly scarring can occur, which can seriously affect the patient's appearance. If, for example, the facial nerve is injured during the procedure, the mobility of the facial muscles is restricted. A pronounced facial expression, as it was before, is then no longer possible in the affected regions.
This paralysis can last for months or even be permanent, depending on how badly the nerve was injured. Under certain circumstances, numbness occurs in certain areas of the face if other nerves in the face or head area have been damaged by the facelift. Doctors who carry out facelifts are often specially trained to avoid these annoying and very unpleasant complications for those affected.
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