No one likes to think they look old. Unfortunately, as you grow older, your body starts to betray you. Luckily, there are a few methods that can help reduce or remove the signs of aging. One of the most prominent is a facelift. Facelift surgery, or rhytidectomy, is a surgery that involves tightening the face and removing sagging skin. Is it right for you? This article will explain whether you should invest in facelift surgery or if something less invasive may be all that you need.
Signs of Aging
First, you should determine if your appearance warrants anti-aging measures. Some of the signs of aging include skin sagging and relaxation of the skin. This can sometimes become even worse if you recently lost weight. The excess skin can sag and make you look older than you are.
Another sign of aging is when the folds around your mouth and nose start to deepen. This can be caused by a few different actions. The first is the number of times you have smiled or expressed emotion. The use of the muscles beneath the skin causes wrinkles to form. Wrinkles can be made even worse through exposure to the sun.
Sagging skin or weight can also cause jowls to form in the cheeks. This is a type of sagging skin that can make you look quite old.
Finally, if you have a lot of skin beneath your chin, it could also make you look as though you have a double chin. A double chin, or turkey neck, can also make you look older.
If you suffer from any of these conditions, then it’s likely that you appear older than you are. Anti-aging surgeries and procedures can help restore your youth and make you look the age that you deserve to be–if not younger.
What Facelift Surgery Doesn’t Do
Many walk into a facelift surgery expecting to be completely transformed. They’ll walk out looking like their 20-year-old selves. This isn’t going to happen. Nor will it stop the aging process. While a facelift can make you appear younger for a while, your skin will eventually start to obey the laws of gravity once more.
The Process of a Facelift
There are a few steps involved in facelift surgery. According to Mark Glasgold, MD, FACS, a facial plastic surgeon in New Jersey, your surgeon will first give you anesthesia. You can either have general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. You’ll also need to have decided whether or not you just want a facelift surgery or other additional treatments as well. Those treatments may make your facelift even more of a success.
Once you are comfortably asleep, your doctor will make an incision either at your hairline, under the chin, or by your temples. Fat may be moved across the face to help remove jowls and other signs of aging. Your skin is pulled tighter and then draped over the contours that have been lifted. Any excess skin is removed.
Additional lifts, like a neck lift, may be necessary to remove jowls and the presence of a double chin.
Once the skin is placed where it needs to be, the doctor will close the incision sites with sutures. Those sutures may dissolve with time. Any scarring or incision marks can be hidden by your hairline.
Alternative and Less Invasive Treatments
Because facelift surgery recovers some time to recover afterward, it isn’t feasible for everyone. Some women simply may not like the idea of being cut open. Luckily, there are alternative methods for fighting off the less invasive signs of aging.
By combining less invasive measures and nonsurgical procedures, doctors can give women incredible results without needing to make incisions in their skin or recovery overnight in the hospital.
Here are a few alternatives to consider.
Dermal Fillers: These smooth-gel injectables can be injected into various locations on the face. In particular, they’re injected into your temples, cheeks, lips, and even under your eyes. The fillers help plump up areas that have sunken in. Instead of looking haggard, you’ll look flush and rejuvenated. They can also be great for smoothing out wrinkles.
Botox: Perhaps one of the most popular and famous methods for anti-aging without a facelift is Botox. Another injectable, this procedure involves the injection of a toxin into key areas of the face. When you express emotions over time, it causes wrinkles. The toxin from Botox helps relax those key areas where emotion is expressed. This smoothes out wrinkles and gives you a youthful appearance.
Fat Injections: If you have a lot of fat elsewhere but not in your face, then you could be a great candidate for fat injections. Liposuction is required to remove some fat from somewhere on your body. This fat is then cleaned and injected into your face to help build volume. This can remove wrinkles and give your face a fuller appearance.
Chemical Peels: One final method for anti-aging without a facelift is to undergo chemical peels. Certain chemical peels can help close pores in your skin. This is important because smaller pores can make your skin tone look even and youthful. It can also keep your skin cleaner and healthier.
Which is Right for You?
If you’re faced with deciding between a facelift or a less invasive treatment, the decision should ultimately come down to what kind of results you want. Facelifts can remove fat and give you incredible contours that make you look younger. However, it does involve incisions and recovery time in the hospital.
Noninvasive treatments will not require much recovery time–if at all. However, you also won’t enjoy the results for as long. You’ll likely need to visit the doctor again in a few months.
The best course of action to take is to speak with your doctor. They will be able to offer you advice on which kind of procedure is best for you. If maintaining a youthful appearance is important to you, then you will likely benefit from either choice.
