Facelifts are a popular and effective way to restore youth, beauty, and confidence to aging complexions. In general, the procedure takes place in an outpatient facility or cosmetic surgeon’s clinic. The procedure itself is relatively safe and simple to perform. The surgeon makes an incision around the hairline that extends from one earlobe to the other. Excess skin is removed, and the remainder pulled upward and reattached with layered stitching techniques to reduce scarring. A bit of liposuction may round out the procedure.

A talented cosmetic surgeon can make it impossible to identify any signs of the procedure. Recovery can be painful and take weeks to fully visualize the end results. Considered an elective procedure, a facelift is not typically covered by insurance, and can be costly. However, the results are compelling, and life-changing. Here are just a few of the motivations that drive patients to pursue a facelift procedure:

1. Aesthetics

Overall, the procedure makes the skin look firmer, tighter, and fresher, which gives patients a more rested appearance. Some have dramatic results. Friends and family often comment that it’s taken years off the patient’s face. The face is not only the first impression, but the world’s lasting image of you.

2. Correction, Reconstruction, Revision

Plastic surgery to correct injury, scarring, or botched results is more common than you would think. Facelifts are often the only option to correct more drastic issues like these. Additional issues like sagging or lop-sided skin, deformities, deep tissue wrinkles, or disproportionate features can be minimized or eliminated with a facelift.

3. Confidence

There’s a rumor that as we get older, things start to droop, sag, and wrinkle. Many will tell you that this is a misconception: these are the people who refuse to go gently into retirement. For women who find themselves single later in life, a facelift can give them the look, appeal, and confidence they need to get back into the dating pool. It was nerve-racking enough when we were younger. Sometimes, we just need a little push in the right direction to allow other things to catch up and fall into place.

Sometimes, the problem is rooted even deeper. It becomes a self-esteem issue. If an individual looks in the mirror every day and is saddened by the reflection, it will take a toll on one’s self image. Some are born with a deprecated sense of self. Others are vulnerable to the social pressures that tell us that we have to look a certain way on the outside to be successful. In essence, if we don’t look young, we’re not worthy. Some may be pressured into thinking that surgery is their only option, which just isn’t true. There are many alternatives to surgery.

4. Career Advancement

The number of male recipients of the facelift has increased dramatically over the last few years. As the job market becomes more competitive (especially in the corporate world), so does the resume. There is now a movement of physical resume improvements that shows male and female job seekers taking steps toward physical modifications to make themselves more attractive to potential employers. Hair extensions, hair plugs, tattoo removals, breast augmentation, facelifts—each could sway a candidate one way or the other. It’s just one last thing to make a good impression or get a potential edge in a tight race against another candidate.

5. Lasting Results

A facelift lasts from 5 to 10 years based on a variety of factors and postoperative care. The facelift procedure itself has come a long way in the last ten years. This traditional treatment can have the most dramatic effects and is the longest lasting. Even though recovery is lengthy and painful, it has a high success rate and is still the most popular elective surgery requested.

The procedure has become so prevalent (with about 125,000 facelifts a year), doctors have specialized and developed procedures to custom define each treatment to a specific trouble spot. Now, one can get a full facelift, mini lift, forehead lift, midface lift, neck lift, or a combination of any of the above.

Schedule Your Facelift Consultation

If a facelift is in your future, book a reputable surgeon who has experience specializing in the results you want. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Nojan Talebzadeh today to discuss your desires, expectations, and concerns. Dr. Nojan Talebzadeh specializes in facelifts, brow lifts, eyelid surgery, facial implants, ear correction, and rhinoplasty.

For all of your cosmetic surgery questions and concerns, contact the caring and talented specialists at Eastlake Cosmetic Surgery.