Facial Cosmetic Surgery

With passage of time, the skin on the face and neck begins to loosen. You see fine lines on the forehead, crow's feet at the corners of the eyes and the jaw line softening into jowls. Rhytidecotomy or facelifts are facial cosmetic surgeries that can help you delay the pull of gravity and look years younger. Facial cosmetic surgery seeks to improve overall facial appearance. Though our genes, lifestyle and personal habits contribute in no small measure to our looks, it is now possible to acquire a more youthful appearance with cosmetic surgery procedures such as dermabrasion and chemical peeling. Read on to understand these cosmetic surgery procedures and various factors that need to be considered before opting for facelift surgery.

Rhytidecotomy

Facelifts cannot stop the aging process but can make a visible difference to the way your facial skin appears. Facial cosmetic surgery helps in correcting certain facial flaws that appear due to premature aging. The effect of Rhytidecotomy depends on the skin type and its elasticity as well as the ethnic background and basic bone structure. Many a time, this sort of facial cosmetic surgery is carried out along with facial liposuction for better results.

It is not advisable for persons suffering from heart disease, diabetes and clotting disorders to consider facial cosmetic surgery. A facelift is not recommended for smokers until they eliminate the habit. It has been noticed that this form of facial cosmetic surgery works best for those who are in good health and have good skin tone. The plastic surgeon peruses your medical history and carefully examines your facial features and neck to understand your skin tone and bone structure.

Rhytidectomy lifts up the facial skin along with the underlying muscles so as to give a tighter and smoother appearance. Some facelifts are restricted to the brow area or lower face and neck only. They can be done with small endoscope. Yet another technique that is used so as to reduce scars is the MACS (Minimal Access Cranial Suspension). Those with marked wrinkled skin and sagging tissues might experience high degree of improvement since the results are subtler in the case of younger patients. While a facelift can smoothen your face, neck and chin, it cannot improve the eyelids or eyebrows or the creases on the forehead and around the lips.

Cosmetic surgery procedure

Surgical facelift involves incisions that are placed in front of both the ears extending into the hairline above and even behind the ear. The incisions are placed to appear in the natural crease of the skin and are usually placed according to your face structure. The skin is raised outward and the underlying muscle and connective tissues are repositioned and tightened. Excess skin may also be removed. The incisions are closed with fine sutures or clips.

This process can take two to four hours. The facial skin is then dressed with bandage. Swelling and bruising normally lasts for a few days. The patient is advised to restrain from vigorous activity. Plenty of rest sans any bending or straining is advised for patients after a facial cosmetic surgery. Sometimes a drainage tube is inserted during surgery that is removed only after a couple of days. These tubes drain away fluid from the surgery site. Recovery takes about 2 to 3 weeks and scars fade off in time.

The risks associated with this type of facial surgery are similar to those for most surgical procedures - anesthesia complications such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. In addition, it may sometimes result in nerve damage or hernatoma. Hernatoma is a condition where there is increased blood supply to the affected area. Temporary hair loss in the area around the surgical incision is common on account of the damaged hair follicles. But sometimes it may result in permanent hair loss in that area.

Dermabrasion

This facial cosmetic treatment was developed in the early 1950s. Dermabrasion is a facial cosmetic procedure that seeks to reduce acne defects such as pits and scars. This facial treatment is also used to reduce chicken pox scars. Dermabrasion is also known as skin planing and involves a planing action on the surface of the skin with a rapidly rotating brush. This action removes the skin surface and causes a new layer of skin to grow in its place or wheel. A dermatologist will examine the skin to determine its suitability for the dermabrasion procedure. The doctor sprays the skin with a refrigerant and injects an anesthesia to numb the skin. A handheld motorized instrument with a sanding wheel or brush is gently moved over the surface of the scars to wear them out. The skin may take a few weeks to heal.

Chemical Peels

The process of chemical exfoliation of the skin involves peeling the skin. This superficial treatment moderates the damage caused to skin by photo aging. When a mild chemical solution is applied to the skin, it blisters and peels off over a period of a few days. The new skin that forms is smother and less wrinkled. This cosmetic facial procedure treats fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. This works best on women with moderate skin damage. Chemical peels are sometimes used in combination with cosmetic laser resurfacing for best results. The patient's skin type and extent of damage determine the course of cosmetic facial procedure that will be followed. Alpha -hydroxy Acids (AHA), Trichloroacetic Acid or Carbolic Acid are used in the chemical peels. Acne scars and age spots can be minimized with chemical peeling. But deeper scars require stronger chemical solutions with greater depth of peel. This procedure can be carried out in the dermatologist's office. It is essential to avoid overexposure to the sun till the redness and scaling is reduced and the new skin is in place.