Miami Facelift (Rhytidectomy) | Plastic Surgery

Age affects us all, and the symptoms of aging are often most immediately obvious in the face. Smooth, firm facial skin gives way with time to wrinkles and loose folds that make a person look old and tired. Our plastic surgeon staff uses only the most advanced facelift surgery techniques to give patients from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and surrounding communities tighter, smoother facial skin. For more comprehensive treatment, many patients decide to combine facelift with other facial plastic surgery, or with non-surgical skin rejuvenation techniques.

Candidates for Facelift Surgery

Facelift surgery is appropriate for a wide variety of people who want to eliminate lax facial skin and wrinkles surgically. Our doctors must evaluate each facelift patient at our Coral Gables Cosmetic Center office individually, but all good candidates share some common characteristics:

Realistic Expectations: A good facelift candidate understands the inherent limitations of surgery. A detailed consultation with one of our doctors and the examination of plastic surgery before-and-after pictures of other facelift patients are important parts of knowing what to expect. A patient with realistic expectations is much more likely to be happy with his or her final results.

Good Overall Health: Good health is a general prerequisite to plastic surgery of any kind. For safety reasons, it is important to keep your doctor informed about medical conditions, medications, and changes in your health. Facelift is an invasive surgery, so patients will need to be strong and healthy enough to withstand surgery and recovery.

Good Skin Elasticity: Patients whose skin is healthier and more elastic typically enjoy the best results from facelift surgery.

The Facelift Procedure

When performing a facelift, one of our surgeons first makes a concealed incision behind the hairline and separates the skin from the underlying muscles and tissue. After tightening the facial muscles to improve the contour of the face, he stretches and repositions the skin to make it fit the face more closely and to smooth away wrinkles. Finally, excess skin from the face is trimmed at the incision site and the incision is closed.

Facelift Recovery and Results

After surgery, the face and head will be bandaged, and patients will be sent home to recover. It is important to plan ahead and take about two weeks away from work for rest and recovery at home. During this time, patients may experience swelling, bruising, and discomfort. Any discomfort can be controlled using medication, and these symptoms will fade over the first few weeks of recovery. Facelift patients should avoid strenuous exercise for at least two weeks after surgery. When recovering from facelift surgery, it is important to be patient. The results of the surgery will not be immediately evident, but will appear gradually as swelling and bruising fade. This process sometimes takes several weeks. We provide complete post-surgical care, including regular checkups, to ensure that healing goes smoothly. Though patients still age normally after facelift surgery, a good procedure can turn back the clock several years on a person's appearance, smoothing and tightening the facial skin and helping him or her look and feel more youthful and more attractive.

If you are interested in exploring facelift surgery, please schedule a complementary appointment to visit us at our office in Miami. If you think that cosmetic surgery might be right for you, our doctors and staff can help you make the right decision and obtain the results you want.