The Face Lift – The ultimate anti aging technique?

About fifty thousand face lifts are performed in the United States each year to help many people reduce their wrinkles. Of all the cosmetic procedures, the face lift is one of the most complicated. As the name suggests, it serves the purpose of lifting up the sagging, wrinkled skin of the face to give a more youthful appearance, helping to remove an ageing appearance of the skin. Not everyone is a good candidate for a face lift. People who have bleeding problems or take anticoagulants should not undergo the procedure. Certain medications, such as aspirin or birth control pills, should be avoided for two to three weeks before the surgery. And surgery it is. Several incisions have to be made on the face and scalp, followed by an extensive process of pulling the facial skin tighter. General anesthesia is usually necessary.

The basic technique of a face lift is to separate the aging skin structure from the muscle that lies beneath it. This is called “undermining.” Once the wrinkled skin has been freed up, it can then be pulled tighter. In order to be able to undermine the skin, several incisions must first be made on the face and scalp. Every cosmetic surgeon favors certain techniques over others. A common method is to cut the wrinkled skin from the hair line near the temples down across the front part of the ear. The incision is then carried behind the ear onto the back of the scalp. Incisions are then placed in areas of the face where they will be least visible. Once these incisions have been made, surgical instruments are used to separate the tissues. The separation is carried out from the ears all the way to the nose.

Extreme caution must be taken not to cut any nerves or arteries. When the aging skin is finally pulled tighter, it is stitched in place, and the excess skin is removed. Once the operation is complete, the face and scalp are wrapped to insure that everything stays in place. Despite the tight wrappings, the person can still eat and breathe. Most of the sutures are removed within a week. Pain may continue for days to weeks after the surgery.

Side Effects and Complications of Face Lifts

As you can imagine, several potential side effects and complications may arise from having a face lift done. The most common problem is the formation of a hematoma-a collection of blood underneath the skin. This can occur from the severing of blood vessels that takes place in the process of separating tissues. Despite the best efforts to stop the resultant bleeding that may occur, hematomas can develop. In fact, this complication is seen in about 10 percent of those women who undergo a face lift. Often, the hematomas can be eliminated by nicking the skin with a blade or by suctioning them out with a needle. The sooner they are removed, the better. The longer they remain, the greater the likelihood of their distorting the contour of the skin or causing infection.

Sloughing, or shedding, of the skin happens in about one out of twenty women who have this procedure. Sloughing occurs when the blood supply to a portion of the skin gets choked off, causing that portion of the skin to die. Several things can lead to it-the severance of an artery, an underlying hematoma, or skin that is too tight. Unfortunately, once the skin begins to slough, there is nothing that can be done except to hope that the scar it leaves is not very noticeable.

Another undesirable effect of the skin having been pulled too tight is hair loss in the area above and in front of the ears. This hair loss can be permanent. Also, just as arteries can be cut, so can nerves. This usually leads to numbness on the affected side of the face where the nerves were damaged. And the numbness can last for several months! On rare occasions it can be permanent. When the nerves that are cut are ones that control muscle movement, a drooping, or paralysis, can occur. Although all of these are unusual complications, it is important that you know they are possible.

Liposuction is another anti aging wrinkle prevention technique. It is sometimes used to fine-tune a face lift by removing fat deposits left behind. This is frequently done during the actual face lift itself.
Actually, several similarities exist between liposuction and face lifting for treating wrinkles. Both involve making incisions in the skin in order to go deep into the tissues. Both are associated with postoperative pain and numbness. And both have a high rate of success.

Please read more about other anti wrinkle cream products such as Lifecell and Dermajuv.