What a Facelift Can and Cannot Do
Over the years, gravity, sun exposure, and the strain of everyday life show up in the face. Common signs include deep creases running from the nose to the mouth, a softer jawline with jowls, and loose folds or fat deposits along the neck.
A facelift, known medically as rhytidectomy, treats these changes in the face and neck in three ways. Excess fat is removed, the muscles beneath the skin are tightened, and the skin of the face and neck is redraped. A facelift cannot stop the aging process, and it does not change your basic appearance. Our goal is a result that still looks like you, only fresher.
A facelift can be done alone or together with other procedures. Some concerns are treated with a separate procedure, which may be suggested alongside a facelift:
- Brow: a brow lift raises the forehead and brow when a lowered brow is part of what you see.
- Eyelids: eyelid surgery treats drooping upper lids and puffy bags beneath the eyes.
- Volume: facial fat transfer uses your own fat to restore areas that have lost fullness, and it is done separately from a facelift.
- Skin texture: UltraClear skin resurfacing smooths fine lines and wrinkles.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
The best candidates are men and women who are starting to see sagging in the face and neck while their skin keeps some of its elasticity. Most patients are in their 60s to 70s, and the surgery can also be done successfully for people in their 70s or 80s.
Good candidates are healthy, with no medical conditions that impair healing, do not use nicotine, and have a positive outlook with realistic expectations.
A facelift can help you look younger and fresher. It may also give your self-confidence a lift. It will not give you a totally different look, and it cannot restore the health and vitality of youth. Before you decide, think carefully about what you expect and talk it through with Dr. Warren Schutte.
Planning and Preparing for Your Facelift
At your consultation, Dr. Schutte evaluates your face, including your skin and facial structure, and talks with you about your goals.
Tell us if you smoke or use nicotine, and tell us about every drug or medication you take, especially aspirin or any other drug that affects clotting. Dr. Schutte will explain the surgical technique and anesthesia options, along with the risks of the procedure. You will also be provided with a price quote for the procedure.
Before surgery, you will receive specific instructions on eating and drinking, smoking, and which vitamins and medications to take or avoid. Following them closely helps your surgery go more smoothly.
Smoking cuts down the blood supply to your skin, which can interfere with healing at the incisions. If you smoke, you will need to quit before your surgery can be scheduled, because our nicotine policy requires a negative nicotine test first. Stay off nicotine for at least four weeks after surgery.
You will need to plan for a ride home after surgery and for someone to stay with you for a day or two. If you have very short hair, you may consider letting it grow out a little to help hide the scars.
Where Your Surgery Happens
Dr. Schutte performs all of his surgeries on an outpatient basis in our in-office surgical suite. Most facelifts are done with local anesthesia combined with a sedative that helps you relax. You stay awake but relaxed, and your face is insensitive to pain, though you may still notice some pulling or occasional discomfort. If general anesthesia is the better plan for you, it is provided only by our board-certified anesthesiologists.
Our facility carries QUAD A Class C accreditation. QUAD A is a global accreditation authority, and it recognizes only facilities that have met 100% of its high standards for patient safety.
A facelift usually takes about 90 minutes, and longer if you are having more than one procedure. Incisions usually run along the hairline and around the ear, and a second incision under the chin is sometimes needed to improve the neck. The exact placement, and the order of each step, depend on your facial structure and the technique Dr. Schutte chooses for you.
Risks of Facelift Surgery
When a qualified plastic surgeon performs a facelift, complications are infrequent and usually minor. Even so, people differ greatly in their anatomy, their physical reactions, and how they heal, so the outcome is never completely predictable.
Complications that can occur include:
- Hematoma, a collection of blood under the skin that must be removed by the surgeon
- Injury to the nerves that control the facial muscles, which is usually temporary but may be permanent
- Infection
- Reactions to the anesthesia
Poor healing of the skin is most likely to affect smokers. You can lower your risk by following Dr. Schutte’s instructions closely, both before and after surgery.
Other risks are rare. They include deep vein thrombosis, heart and lung complications, fluid collecting under the skin, numbness or other changes in skin sensation, persistent pain, skin loss, skin irregularities and discoloration, stitches that surface through the skin, prolonged swelling, unfavorable scarring, asymmetry, and temporary or permanent hair loss at the incisions.
Recovery
Your head will be bandaged after surgery to help keep swelling and bruising down. Bruising and swelling are expected, and both fade with time. Keep your head elevated and avoid bending over. Bending and heavy lifting may raise your blood pressure and encourage bleeding, so do not lift, push, or pull anything over 10 lbs for up to six weeks. Avoid strenuous exercise for six weeks.
You can expect some tightness and numbness in the face and neck at first. Most people are presentable in public within 10 to 14 days, but it takes two to three months for the face to feel back to normal in texture, sensation, and tightness.
For the first four to six weeks, your scars may look red and feel slightly firm and raised. A scar takes at least a year to reach its final appearance. Protect your face from direct sun, especially while you heal.
Results and How Long They Last
As swelling and bruising subside, the improvements from your facelift become visible. Expect full healing, inside and out, to take at least six months to a year.
A facelift does not stop your face from aging. How long your result lasts depends on your genes, your skin quality, how you care for your skin, and the technique used. Daily sun protection and a healthy lifestyle can help extend your result.
Good results are expected, but they cannot be guaranteed. In some cases, a single surgery may not achieve the best result, and another surgery or skin treatments may be needed.
See Real Results
Browse our facelift gallery to see Dr. Schutte’s work. Every face is different, so your consultation is the place to talk through what is realistic for you.
Schedule Your Free Cosmetic Consultation
Dr. Schutte is a board-certified plastic surgeon and has practiced in Northern Colorado since 2009, operating in our QUAD A accredited facility. We invite you to meet Dr. Schutte and learn more about his background before you decide.
We see facelift patients from Loveland, Fort Collins, across Northern Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and across the country. We are cosmetic only and no longer accept any type of insurance for our services. All our services are self-pay cosmetic procedures. Your consultation is complimentary. We offer CareCredit and PatientFi for patients looking for financing options to pay over time. Give us a call to schedule your complimentary consultation at our office at 1992 Rocky Mountain Avenue in Loveland. Our goal for you is a natural-looking result that leaves you with a more refreshed look, but still yourself.
