Facelift

facelift

Facelift In Portland, OR

What is a facelift?

A facelift, also known as a rhytidectomy, is a cosmetic procedure that restores your youthful look by addressing age-related changes that affect the face and neck. More specifically, a facelift treats:

  • Facial sagging
  • Deep lines and creases around the mouth and nose
  • Jowls
  • Loose, saggy skin on the neck
  • Displaced or diminished facial fat

Lines and wrinkles are a normal part of the aging process that occurs because of structural changes that affect your skin, including a decrease in collagen production and loss of subcutaneous fat. 

These structural changes cause your skin to loosen and sag, creating the lines and creases. 

Why People Have a Facelift

A facelift is performed to create a younger-looking face. A facelift can smooth fine lines and wrinkles and tighten sagging skin to achieve a firmer, younger-looking face.

What are the facelift techniques?

Dr. Urbinelli is an experienced and skilled plastic surgeon. He offers a full range of techniques for facelifts, so you get a personalized approach for the best, most natural results. 

Some of his facelift techniques include:

Minimally invasive and/or short scar

When considering a facelift to restore a more youthful appearance, most people want to look younger without looking like they had “work” done. When performing facelifts, Dr. Urbinelli uses minimally invasive techniques that leave very small “hidden” scars. 

This technique is often ideal for bald men (difficult to hide the scar in hairline), younger/middle-aged patients with little/no neck laxity, or patients who just request “skin only facelift” or a MACS lift (suture technique minimally invasive facelifts).  

These approaches can be powerful but less extensive and less longevity in the results compared to the following techniques, however, they are associated with less downtime after surgery.

Sub-superficial muscular aponeurotic system (sub-SMAS)

The sub-SMAS facelift is an innovative facelift technique that focuses on lifting the fat, muscle, and loose skin on the lower two-thirds of the face. 

During the sub-SMAS facelift, Dr. Urbinelli tightens SMAS layer, rearranges fat, and removes excess skin to improve jowls, flattened/depressed cheeks, deep nasolabial folds, and saggy skin under the chin.

Deep plane techniques

To give you a rested and youthful appearance, Dr. Urbinelli may use deep plane facelift techniques. With this type of facelift, he goes deeper than the sub-SMAS, elevating and releasing problem areas that require more extensive dissection and elevation, which ensures more powerful and durable long-term results.  

What To Expect During a Facelift

During a facelift procedure, incisions are made at the hairline, and skin on both sides of the face is pulled back. Excess skin may be removed, giving your face a tighter, younger appearance A facelift is typically performed as an outpatient.

What To Expect During Recovery From a Facelift

It’s common to experience swelling and bruising in the surgical area. Your plastic surgeon Dr. Urbinelli may prescribe pain and anti-inflammatory medication for the first few days after surgery. Downtime is about 2 weeks, and you should notice the full benefits of a facelift after 6 months.

Additional Procedures That Can Be Performed Along with a Facelift

Several procedures may be combined with a facelift to help you achieve desired results. Some of these procedures include:

  • A necklift to smooth wrinkles and tighten skin on the neck.
  • Blepharoplasty is to lift eyelids, remove excess fat and skin from the eyelids, and make the eyes appear larger, younger, and more open.
  • A brow lift is used to lift and smooth out the skin on the forehead.

Am I a candidate for a facelift?

Dr. Urbinelli takes a patient-centered approach to care. When you come in for a facelift consultation at PNW Plastic Surgery, he will spend adequate time listening and discussing with you options, approaches, and expectations so he can fully understand your concerns and goals. 

He reviews your medical history and evaluates your face. You may be a candidate for a facelift if you have moderate to severe facial sagging that non-surgical cosmetic treatments cannot fix.

What You Should Ask Your Plastic Surgeon

Before considering a facelift, there are some important questions you should ask your plastic surgeon, such as:

  • How many facelift procedures have you performed?
  • What are the benefits of having a facelift?
  • What are the risks of having a facelift?
  • What results can I expect from my facelift procedure?
  • What alternative procedures or additional procedures should I consider?

Want To Know More?

To learn more about the benefits of a facelift and if a facelift is right for you, call Dr. Leo Urbinelli at PNW Plastic Surgery in Portland, OR. You can reach him in the office by calling (503) 208-2348, so call today.

To schedule your facelift consultation, call PNW Plastic Surgery, or book an appointment online today. 

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