Facelift Surgery in Cape Town
Dr Rory Dower and his team of professionals understand that signs of aging in the face typically culminate in a number of different areas. Youthful characteristics in the facial tissue can often be lost in the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, skin laxity, diminished facial volume, or a combination of all of these factors. These developments can be accelerated by natural forces, such as genetics, aging, sun exposure, weight fluctuation, and others, making men and women look older than they actually feel. Our practice, in Cape Town, South Africa, wishes to provide effective, high-quality care for all of our patients’ unique aesthetic desires. For individuals seeking to thoroughly diminish signs of aging, facelift surgery can be a powerful solution that addresses a wide range of cosmetic concerns, yielding results that both look and feel natural. The final cosmetic outcome provided by facelift surgery is unparalleled in both effectiveness of treatment and longevity, typically allowing patients a refreshed and rejuvenated appearance for longer than most other enhancement options currently available.
In general, a facelift is designed to firm, smooth, and tighten facial skin for a younger-looking appearance. By reshaping and repositioning the soft tissue beneath the skin, prominent signs of aging can be diminished, while the youthful contours of the face can become more visible. After intent discussion about your reasons for surgery, Dr Dower can develop a personalized treatment plan to address your concerns and provide beautiful, long-lasting results that are tailored to fulfill your aesthetic goals.
I had a real peace throughout the process of preparing and going through facelift surgery. Dr Dower is incredibly kind and empathetic and I just knew that I would be taken care of.
Benefits of a Facelift
With a surgical facelift, the general approach taken by Dr Dower is to provide natural-looking facial enhancement without creating an overstated appearance. The potential benefits of a facelift vary according to the needs and skin tissue anatomy of each patient, but overall, a facelift can comprehensively reduce or improve the appearance of:
- Loose or sagging skin in the face or neck
- Prominent wrinkles
- Jowl formation
- Volume loss in the cheeks and/or mid-face
- Excess fat in the cheeks, neck, and/or jowls
In order to ensure an outcome that is as natural-looking as possible, it is often helpful for patients to bring a photo of themselves from 10-15 years past to their consultation. This visual aid can give Dr Dower a clearer understanding of how to achieve your aesthetic ideal, while ensuring your surgical results align with your expectations.
Candidates for a Facelift
Ideal candidates for facelift surgery have notable skin laxity, deep creases, and/or volume loss in the face, and desire a long-lasting solution to these aesthetic facial concerns. While there are many preconceptions about the best age to undergo a facelift, age is not as much of a determining factor in facelift surgery as individual need. A facelift is a dynamic rejuvenative tool that can improve a variety of concerns at once, providing outstanding results unmatched by any other enhancement option. Therefore, many individuals who have the requisite cosmetic concerns and are seeking enduring results can be good candidates for a facelift. However, it is important for candidates to be in relatively good health prior to surgery. Smokers must be willing to temporarily abstain from tobacco before, during, and after the operation to minimize the risk of possible complications.
Dr Dower can examine your medical history and unique anatomical features to help you determine whether a surgical facelift would be beneficial.
Individuals who are not candidates for surgery may be able to achieve their desired results with the range of non-surgical facial rejuvenation options offered at our medical spa in Somerset West, South Africa. Injectables, chemical peels, dermal fillers, and other conservative treatments can also provide natural-looking facial enhancement for many patients whose needs cannot be met with a surgical facelift.
About the Facelift Procedure
Facelift surgery typically addresses the lower two-thirds of the face, from the upper cheeks extending down to the neck. This area is often where signs of aging, such as jowl formation or skin laxity in the cheeks, are most apparent. Depending on a patient’s needs, the surgery can be combined with other procedures offered by Dr Dower—such as eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) or a brow lift—in order to provide more comprehensive facial enhancement.
While it is possible for a facelift to be performed on an outpatient basis, Dr Dower’s advanced technique performing the surgery typically requires an overnight stay. In general, a surgical facelift involves reshaping the layer of soft tissue covering the facial muscles—termed the SMAS layer—to restore the youthful characteristics of your facial skin. Dr Dower uses the high-SMAS technique in facelift surgery, a procedure requiring greater levels of surgical proficiency than other approaches. This method involves an expert repositioning of the deep SMAS layer in such a way that generally allows the cosmetic result to look incredibly natural. By opting for this technique over others, the appearance of an “overdone” or “tightened” aesthetic can be avoided. General anesthesia is utilized. Depending on your needs, Dr Dower may recommend combining a facelift with other non-surgical rejuvenation treatments to optimize the overall outcome.
Recovery from a Facelift
Following surgery, patients may notice some degree of bruising or swelling. These reactions can be managed with oral pain medication and typically diminish as healing progresses. Specific recovery information is based on the complexity of an individual’s treatment plan, and Dr Dower will provide detailed post-operative instructions prior to or after the operation. Generally, plenty of rest is essential to facilitate the healing process. Many patients can engage in light activity the day after surgery, with a full return to normal activity expected in one to two weeks.
Results from a Facelift
After surgery, patients generally report smoother and tighter facial skin for a reinvigorated and more youthful aesthetic. Dr Dower’s surgical expertise and prioritization of patient care typically allow any residual scarring from incisions to be hidden within an individual’s hairline. The ultimate results of a facelift typically improve within six to eight weeks while swelling continues to dissipate.
While a facelift can provide exceptional results, proper skin care and protection from sun exposure is of the utmost importance to prolong the cosmetic outcome. The natural aging process will continue, but individuals can maintain their rejuvenated facial appearance with non-surgical “touch-up” treatments from our medical spa.
FAQs about Facelift Surgery:
Harmony and balance are important in facelift surgery and for this reason the best results are achieved when all the facial units are addressed.
The high-SMAS facelift addresses many of the components of facial ageing, not only around the lower face (jowls, jawline, and neck) but also the mid-face (cheeks and nasolabial folds). It does not however address the upper face (forehead and eyes) or volume loss. To address these concerns, many patients opt to have eyelid surgery and/or a browlift, as well as fat grafting at the time of their facelift surgery.
Fat grafting helps to restore volume to the areas that need it most, such as the forehead, temples, around the eyes, cheeks, jaw line and lips. A gentle liposuction technique is used to remove fat from the thighs, abdomen, or flanks, and once processed, this fat is injected into various areas of the face, as needed.
Your stitches will usually be removed a week after surgery. You can expect a fair amount of swelling and bruising, but the bruising should resolve after 2 – 3 weeks. Swelling usually takes a little longer to go away. You can expect to look better at 4 weeks than you did before surgery, and you can plan to make an appearance at a big event or special occasion roughly 6 weeks after your surgery.
You can expect a facelift to make you look at least 10 years younger. Although one’s face continues to age, with time, you will still look younger in 10 years than your contemporaries who have never had surgery.
Facial rejuvenation works best when it is approached by a team of skin specialists sharing a “tool box” of different but complimentary expertise and a trusted approach. Working together offering a spectrum of options, from a medical facial to surgical procedures you can achieve your skin objectives and positively affect the way you age.
I recommend you start with a Visia Skin Analysis by our aesthetician, and get an understanding of the current state of your skin. She will devise an effective treatment plan to prioritise your skin’s immediate concerns with high quality skin care products and/or treatments. Healthy skin will be the cherry on the top, for great results.
As with all surgeries, a High SMAS Facelift carries with it some risks, which your surgeon will discuss with you at your consultation prior to your surgery. Recovery time after surgery can vary, depending on your own healing process as well as the number of additional procedures you’ve opted for.
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For more information about our facial rejuvenation options, or to schedule a consultation, please contact our practice today to speak to a friendly member of our team.
