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| As people age, the effects
of gravity, exposure to the sun, and the stresses of daily life are
seen in their faces. Deep creases can form between the nose and mouth;
the jawline sometimes grows slack and jowly; and folds and fat deposits
often appear around the neck. |
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While it can’t stop the aging process,
a facelift can “set back the clock,” improving the most
visible signs of aging and making you look younger and fresher.
A facelift can be performed alone or in conjunction with other procedures,
such as a forehead lift or eyelid surgery. While the procedure does
leave scars, they usually can be hidden by your hair or in the natural
creases of your face and ears, and they will fade with time. The
results of a facelift typically last five to 10 years, depending
upon your individual aging process. (You may choose to repeat the
process one or more times down the road as your face continues to
age.)
The best candidate for a facelift is a man or woman whose face
and neck have begun to sag, but whose skin still has some elasticity
and whose bone structure is strong and well defined. While many
patients are in their 40s to 60s, facelifts can be performed successfully
on patients in their 70s and 80s. Many younger people are also becoming
interested in facelifts. Facelift candidates don’t want to
wait until they are unhappy with their appearance; they want to
act before they look old. True-to-life reality shows have shown
them they don’t have to wait. |
The Procedure
A cosmetic procedure to improve sagging
facial skin, jowls and loose neck skin by removing excess fat, tightening
muscles and redraping skin. Incisions usually begin above the hairline
at the temples, extend in a natural line in front of the ear and continue
behind the earlobe to the lower scalp. If the neck needs work, a small
incision may also be made under the chin. The procedure usually takes
several hours – but can require several sessions if extensive
– and is performed on an outpatient basis. Facelifts are accompanied
by general or local anesthesia with sedation. |
| Before Your Facial and Eyelid Surgery |
At this visit, we will take payment and
answer any questions you may have. Dr. Frost will probably not be
available at this time but if you would like to speak with him again,
please let us know and we will schedule this visit when he is available.
You will also receive any prescriptions
that you may need at this visit. We recommend that you get these
filled and have them ready so that you will not need to stop at
the pharmacy on your way home from surgery. Let us know if you have
any specific pain medication requests. We will try to use the medication
that works best for you.
Arrangements will also be made at this
visit for any necessary pre-operative evaluations such as blood
tests, pregnancy tests, EKG, etc.
Please be at the Ambulatory Surgery Center
or hospital on time so the nurses and anesthesiologist will have
time to evaluate prior to surgery. |
DIET & MEDICATIONS
PLEASE, eat nothing and drink nothing
after midnight the night before surgery. This is VERY important.
Your surgery will be canceled if you eat or drink in the morning before
surgery. The only exception is a sip of water with any medications
you must take. Generally, you should take blood pressure and heart
medications. Leave off arthritis medications and do NOT take any diabetic
medications (including insulin) unless specifically instructed to
do so. |
DRESSINGS &
BATHING
Please take a good shower and shampoo with the night before surgery
and another shower in the morning. Skip the make-up today please.
Wear loose comfortable clothing with a shirt that buttons up the
front and loose pants to make it easier to dress after surgery.
If you are having eyelid surgery we recommend you freeze some zip-lock
bags with a wet piece of cloth inside. This is an easy to apply
cold to your eyes after the procedure. Now is the time to plan for
how you will elevate your head to sleep. Get some extra pillows
in the bed or plan to sleep in a recliner if that is more comfortable
for you. |
• Temporary
bruising
• Swelling
• Numbness and tenderness
of skin
• Tight feeling to the skin
• Dry
skin
• Permanent need to shave behind the ears where
beard-growing skin is repositioned (for men) |
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• Injury
to the nerves that control facial muscles or feeling (usually
temporary, can be permanent)
• Infection
•
Bleeding
• Poor healing or excessive scarring (most
likely to affect smokers)
• Hematoma (collection of
blood under the skin that may require more surgery)
•
Asymmetry or change in hairline |
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DIET
Take it slow and easy with diet. Start with
clear liquids and simply advance as tolerated. It is normal to have
some nausea from anesthetics and pain medication but by taking it
easy, this should resolve quickly. |
ACTIVITY
Take it easy for a day or two. Walking is good. Your activity is mostly
limited by discomfort so a good rule is “If it hurts, don’t
do it”. As you start to feel better, you may gradually increase
your activity. Don’t plan to drive for a several days since
restricted head movement may limit your response time in an emergency.
Bending, squatting or pushing will be uncomfortable for a few days. |
PAIN
There is discomfort after any surgery. Many patients describe the
feeling after a facelift as “sore” or a bad headache.
Some complain about their ears. The goal of pain medication is to
prevent¬ pain so don’t wait until you are really hurting
to take your medication. Follow the instructions for your prescription
and we think you will get the best relief possible. Narcotics can
cause constipation so drink plenty of water, eat fruit and use an
over the counter laxative if needed. You may switch to an over the
counter pain medication any time you choose. |
DRESSINGS & BATHING
Bathing is limited only by dressings. We will usually remove all dressings
within 2 days of your surgery. Bring a scarf or hooded jacket to that
first appointment, as your hair will not be very presentable for public
display. You may shower and shampoo after the dressings are removed.
Just use your favorite, mild shampoo. We will gradually remove sutures
in the office with everything removed by 2 weeks. |
RESULTS
Don’t try to judge results yet. You will be swollen and bruised.
You should be able to see most of your results in a couple of weeks
but some swelling and bruising may last a little longer. You may use
makeup after sutures are removed. |
| QUESTIONS
Our goal is for you to be informed so if
you have a question, please call our office at 850.474.8333 |
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