Facelift

You think about it more often now. When you look in the mirror – and look tired. You look older than you feel. The puffy eyes, sagging jowls, and wrinkled brow are more prominent. Your jawline is disappearing and you wonder if people see you differently than ten years before.

Perhaps you used to turn heads, or maybe you just feel like you don’t recognize yourself in the mirror. You feel that there needs to be a change. Can a facelift turn back the clock?

What is Facelift Surgery?

A facelift is a plastic surgery procedure that minimizes visible signs of aging in the lower portion of the face by reducing sagging facial skin, tightening the jaw line, and diminishing wrinkles around the mouth. When combined with liposuction, a facelift can also eliminate a double chin.

A facelift at our fully accredited facility in Northern Virginia can be performed alone, or it can be modified to achieve a mini facelift. It can also be performed in conjunction with other facial surgery procedures, like a mid facelift, neck lift, chin surgery, and/or blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery).

Brow lift surgery, including endoscopic brow lift, is especially popular to combine with a facelift. This allows you to correct signs of aging in the forehead, eyebrow, and frown line areas, as well as the lower portion of the face.

Your Facelift Consultation

Facelift surgery is a big decision, and should be treated as such. That’s why your Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg surgeon will consult with you personally on your initial visit.

While at our Fredericksburg office, you will receive a thorough medical examination and explain why you want a facelift. If you are a suitable facelift candidate, your surgeon and our professional staff will help you decide the facelift procedure most suited to your face and desired goals.

We encourage you to be well informed before meeting with us about your facelift surgery options. The internet is a wonderful tool, but can be misleading and confusing in the information provided.

Full Facelift Procedures

A full facelift is best described as a combination of separate facial surgery procedures that affect different areas of the face. Not all people need the same procedures. We customize a facelift treatment plan for each patient. What may be full rejuvenation for one person, may involve a slightly different set of procedures for another.

Typically, a full facelift involves some combination of:

• Forehead lift (brow lift)
• Eyelid surgery
• Mid facelift
• Lower facelift

Your Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg surgeon can help you decide the best facelift options to give you the results you desire.

Forehead lift (sometimes called a brow lift or eyebrow lift) is a plastic surgery procedure that can bring your eyes out of hiding. The aging process can cause the skin around and under the eyebrows to sag, hanging over your eyelids. This can create an older, tired appearance. Luckily, a brow lift can make your eyes look naturally larger without altering your normal facial expressions.

A forehead lift can:

• Diminish sagging skin above the eyes.
• Create better shaped eyebrows if they are low or straight (without an arch).
• Smooth forehead wrinkles.
• Reduce wrinkles between the eyes or across the top of the nose.
• Make the eyebrows more symmetrical if they are mismatched.

Eyelid surgery – If you have droopy eyelids with excess sagging skin or bags that make you look angry, sad, or tired, blepharoplasty – cosmetic eyelid surgery – may be the answer for you. Eyelid surgery has an impact on the entire face, often making patients look years younger. For this reason, blepharoplasty is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures today.

In some cases, Dermal Fillers may accomplish what you want without surgery, especially if the problem is only in the lower lid area. Your cosmetic surgeon will discuss these options with you during your consultation.

Mid Facelift – a mid facelift is the best option for patients who have sagging cheeks but no jowls, or serious neck wrinkles. The procedure tightens the skin around the cheeks and reduces the nasolabial folds (lines between the nose and mouth). Mid facelift surgery restores volume and definition in the cheeks and lower eyelid area, correcting tear troughs (sunken under eye areas) and creating a more youthful look.

Lower Facelift – can help reduce the appearance of deep facial wrinkles, sagging in the jowls and neck, restoring a firmer more youthful appearance.

During a lower facelift, underlying tissue muscles are repositioned, fat deposits are removed, facial skin is tightened, and excess skin is removed.

Facelift: What to Know

In facelift surgery, our board-certified plastic surgeons, Dr. Heppe, Dr. Bautista, and Dr. Aflaki remove excess fat, tighten muscles, and re-drape the skin to create a more youthful look. The surgery is usually completed in 3 – 5 hours. We perform all procedures at our fully accredited facility in Northern Virginia near Fredericksburg on an outpatient basis.

In a brow lift, your surgeon makes small incisions on your scalp or beside the temples, where scars will be hidden by your hair. The skin is then lifted gently to remove wrinkles and skin sagging or to alter the shape of your eyebrows.

At Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg, we often perform endoscopic brow lifts, which allow our surgeons to make even smaller incisions.

Mini facelift surgery is a modified full facelift that is often called an “S lift” because it utilizes shorter and smaller incisions. These incisions are usually made behind the ears or in the hairline behind the temples. Muscles are tightened but not cut as may be necessary in a full facelift.

Eyelid surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure. Fat and/or excess skin is removed from the upper and lower lids. The results can improve the effects of genetics, aging, and environmental exposure by correcting drooping lids, and removing puffy eye bags.

The incisions are made in the creases of your eyelids or inside the lower lid so that scars will remain hidden. While the procedure is very safe, eyelid surgery is very delicate. It’s important to work with board certified professionals like those at Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg to ensure the best results.

Lower Facelift incisions are usually made under the chin or behind the ears where any scars will remain hidden. Excess skin is then removed, liposuction is used in some cases to remove excess fat, and the skin and muscles are tightened to contour the neck and define the chin and jaw line.

Recovering from a Facelift

After your facelift surgery, your head and face will be bandaged and a drainage tube may be placed behind you ear. This will help in the facelift healing process by reducing bruising and swelling, and preventing blood and fluid from collecting under the skin.

You will be prescribed pain medication to make you as comfortable as possible following your facelift surgery.

You should allow for an adequate amount of time to heal before returning to work or normal activities. Swelling, numbness, and skin discoloration should be expected for approximately one to two weeks.

Your dressings and incisions should be kept dry until your surgeon allows bathing and showering. Your head should remain elevated and immobile for the first few days to minimize swelling.

The healing period can last from one week to several weeks, depending of the type and combinations of facelift surgery undergone. Full facelift and mid face lift patients can expect to return to work in one to two weeks.

Make sure you receive proper rest and sleep, as this will promote proper healing. Avoid vigorous exercise and heavy housework for at least two weeks after surgery. Walking and mild stretching are permitted for the first few days or weeks.

Facelift Cost

As patients consider facelift surgery, they frequently need information about the various payment options. We hope the following information regarding payment options and approximate surgical fee estimates will be helpful.

Please call Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg at (540) 371-7730 or contact us online to receive personalized quotes on our cosmetic surgery procedures. Our patient coordinators have helped many patients achieve their dreams with payment plans that fit comfortably in their budgets.

Picking a Fredericksburg Plastic Surgeon

Choosing a surgeon for a facelift or any surgery is of paramount importance. It is vital for your plastic surgeon to have the right qualifications and credentials. These include board certification, and in good standing with the various medical boards. It also includes education, experience, and satisfied patients.

Don’t forget the support staff including CNA. Make sure they are professional, certified, friendly and caring. This will be the people to lean on during your recovery. Make sure you are comfortable with the entire team.

It is important to do your research and visit with the doctor personally. It is important to visit the facility where the surgery will take place. Don’t rush! You should make the time to get well informed.

Why Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg?

Dr. Howard Heppe completed his surgical internship and surgical residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, and his residency in plastic surgery at the Medical Center of Georgetown University in Washington DC. With the emphasis on cosmetic surgery at Georgetown University, he had the opportunity to train with outstanding leaders in plastic surgery. He also received instruction in drawing and aesthetic analysis.

Dr. Heppe is certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is also an active member of the American society of Plastic surgeons and a diplomat of the national Medical Examiners.

Dr. Harold Bautista earned his Bachelor of Science in Physics, magna cum laude, from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. Dr. Bautista received his medical degree from New York Medical College in 1986.

He completed his residency in plastic surgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Medical Center of Nassau County in New York under the instruction of Long Island Plastic Surgery, Inc., the largest group of plastic surgeons in the United States. This group of 12 surgeons provided Dr. Bautista extensive experience in aesthetic surgery, breast augmentation, body contouring and facial aesthetics. Dr. Bautista also completed his residency in general surgery at the Medical Center of Nassau County.

Dr. Bautista is Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Mary Washington Hospital. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons and is certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery. He has recently proven his dedication to maintaining his knowledge base in his chosen specialty by passing a re-certification examination given by the American Board of Plastic Surgery in April 2016. He joined the Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg in 1993 and has privileges at Mary Washington Hospital, Stafford Hospital and Spotsylvania Regional.

Dr. Pejman Aflaki completed his training at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery program. Having been trained by the leaders in the field of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Aflaki has gained tremendous experience and skills in a wide spectrum of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery procedures of the face, breast, and body.

Make an Appointment for a Facelift Consultation

Contact us at our Fredericksburg office today for your consultation to determine if a facelift is right for you. Call us at (540) 371-7730 or contact us online today.

Facelift Before and After Photos

Please visit our gallery to view our real Fredericksburg patient results in facelift before and after photos.

To find out about facelift cost, including discounts and promotions, visit our fees and financing page. We serve patients from Fredericksburg, Richmond, Fairfax, and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions for Facelift in Washington, DC

Is there an age restriction for facelift surgery?

There really is no age restriction for a facelift in Washington, DC, other than the patient must be over 18. Patients who inquire about the procedure are typically between the ages of 30 and in their 80s.

Will there be any scarring?

Scarring is inevitable after any surgery, but the issue with cosmetic correction is—how visible will it be? Facelift incisions are hidden in the hairline, under the jawline, and in the folds behind each ear. An endoscopic technique will allow for less visible scarring.

How soon will I see my results?

Once the swelling subsides, your results will become more apparent. The underlying muscles will appear firmer, and the facial skin more taut and smooth. But patience is a virtue. The process may take a few months before optimal results are realized.

What is an excellent non-surgical alternative to a facelift?

Dermal fillers offer a less-invasive treatment without the risks associated with surgery. Also, a thread lift in Northern Virginia is a good alternative that produces outstanding results.

How long will my benefits last after a facelift?

Your facelift benefits will last a lifetime with good lifestyle habits, like keeping your weight stable and refraining from smoking or spending too much time in the sun. A facelift does not stop the natural aging process, but it can effectively turn back the clock about a decade. 

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