The vast majority of people develop wrinkles and other signs of aging over time. While this is a normal process, it can be distressing and cause a significant drop in self-esteem. Some of the symptoms can be removed with anti-wrinkle creams or other surface-level treatments, but many issues won’t respond to such methods. Here at Nuance Cosmetic Surgery in Folsom, CA, we can help you with a facelift designed to smooth out and rejuvenate your facial skin to get rid of wrinkles.
Getting Rid of Wrinkles With a Facelift
Currently, this treatment is one of the easiest and most effective ways of removing wrinkles, as it tightens the tissues that support your skin. Aside from getting rid of your unwanted wrinkles, your doctor will be able to smooth out deeper facial folds and remove excess skin and fat. Unlike more topical treatments, it can access and tighten the deeper tissues, thereby producing long-lasting results.
Patients come to the clinic with a variety of concerns, including sagging skin in the middle of their face, a loss of fat causing a sunken appearance, creases running between the nose and the mouth, and jowls. All of these can cause you to look permanently tired and worn out, even if you sleep well and maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine. By lifting your features, we can remove these signs of aging and restore your face to its natural beauty.
Why Do We Develop Wrinkles?
When we grow older, many of the supporting structures of our skin start to weaken. For example, we produce less and less collagen every year from age 20. This structural protein is what holds the skin together by providing a scaffold. It gives us the plump and smooth appearance of youth and keeps our skin both elastic and hydrated.
Because collagen is less present as we age, the skin is no longer as supported as before, so that wrinkles and other uneven structures appear. Another key protein is called elastin. As the name suggests, it is very elastic and helps our facial features to bounce back after we produce an expression. This is also diminished as we age, which causes our skin to hang loose and become more transparent.
What to Expect
Fortunately, these negative signs of aging can be addressed with a simple procedure. When you come to the clinic, we will determine your exact needs and come up with a treatment plan that addresses the issue at hand, whether it relates more to removing excess tissue from the neck or to smoothing out the middle of the face. Your doctor will take both the condition of your skin and your personal goals into consideration.
In general, you can expect your treatment to be performed under local anesthesia, in which case it’s unlikely that you have to stay overnight at the hospital. We will place incisions in your hairline and around your ear, so they won’t be visible afterward, and then remove and re-organize the tissue. Your doctor may also work on the deeper facial muscles or remove excess skin.
The Recovery Process
Around two weeks after your procedure, we will remove the sutures. You will be able to recover within 2-3 weeks, but results can show up and increase four or more weeks after that. During the recovery process, you will need to avoid any clothing that goes over your head and any exercise that puts stress on the area.
Areas of the Face Treated
The facelift can smooth out the skin and tissues in the middle and lower portions of your face. In certain situations, it can also improve the appearance of the neck, as excess fat and muscles can be removed from this area as well. Your doctor will examine you during the initial consultation and let you know what kinds of results you can expect.
If you are also concerned about wrinkling or unevenness in the area around your eyebrows or upper eyelids, you may need to consider a second procedure to go along with this type of lift. It is not able to alter the shape or remove wrinkles in this area, but we offer a wide variety of face procedures and can advise you on the best combination.
The Duration of Results
While this procedure is extremely effective in reducing wrinkles and other uneven features of your face and neck, it doesn’t stop the aging process from happening. The duration of your results will depend on several factors, including your age, general health, lifestyle, and the condition of your skin. The most important factor is age, as collagen and elastin production slows down every year.
If you’re in your 30s, the results of your treatment may last for 15 or more years because your body can still rejuvenate itself to a certain point. However, if you are in your 40s, you may need to have another procedure around one decade later. We will speak to you about the longevity of your results and what you can expect.
Keeping Your Face Wrinkle-Free After Treatment
Although age is a significant element when it comes to keeping your face smooth after your treatment, there are many other factors that you can control. In some cases, they can significantly affect how long you will be able to benefit from your procedure. Let’s examine some common ways to prolong your results.
Sunscreen and Lotions
Protecting your skin from harmful UV rays should be at the top of your priority list. Depending on the amount of melanin your body produces, you should use sunscreen with an SPF between 35 and 55. To make sure you choose the right type, ask your doctor or dermatologist, who will be familiar with your skin type and its needs. In addition, you should hydrate your skin from the outside by applying a gentle lotion after every shower.
Drinking Water
One of the easiest ways to keep your skin healthy is to always remain hydrated. Just like the rest of our body, the skin will dry up if it is not provided with enough fluids, so keeping it moist from the inside out is crucial. Water is the best source of hydration, but you can also drink tea, fresh fruit juices, or consume soups and smoothies. It’s best to drink before you feel thirsty, as your body is already dehydrated at that point.
Maintaining a Healthy Diet
Finally, maintaining a healthy diet is key to glowing and radiant skin, and can be especially important if you have struggled with obesity in the past. You should avoid excessive alcohol and nicotine consumption because both of these can reduce the speed of healing and increase the symptoms of aging. In fact, we may advise you to stop smoking before the procedure to make sure your body can heal quickly.
Eating plenty of fruit and veggies will provide you with all of the micronutrients you need, including Vitamins C, A, E, and B, which can all affect the way your skin looks and feels. You should also aim to consume some lean protein with every meal. Since collagen is a protein, consuming these types of nutrients is important when it comes to skin health. If you’re unsure about your diet, consider visiting a nutritionist.
Who Can Benefit
Now that you know how a facelift works and how you can make its effects as long-lasting as possible, you may be wondering whether you are a suitable candidate. Because it doesn’t usually require general anesthesia, it’s a good option for a wide variety of people. In general, it will be a good fit if you have some issues with the skin in your face, are in good general health, are between 35-65, and have realistic expectations.
Issues With Facial Skin
The most suitable candidate will have some cosmetic concerns related to the middle of their face, the chin, or the neck. This could be wrinkles, drooping skin, or excess fat. As mentioned, the eyebrow area will need a different treatment.
General Health
When you come to us for your initial appointment, we will determine whether your heart and lungs are healthy enough to undergo this kind of surgery. The majority of people will get local anesthesia for this kind of procedure, but a thorough health screening is still necessary to rule out any risks.
An additional factor is the health of your skin. Before deciding to administer the procedure, we will check that your skin is still fairly elastic and snaps back when it is pulled away from the bone. We can treat wrinkles and other signs of aging, but if your skin is not elastic anymore, you may not be a good candidate.
Age
Although collagen production starts to decrease at age 20, most people don’t feel the need for treatment until 35, as that is when the changes start to become more noticeable. That’s why the majority of our patients are between 35-45 when they undergo treatment for the first time.
After that, you are unlikely to need a second procedure until 50-60 years of age. If you are older than 65, you are more likely to have medical conditions that prevent you from undergoing surgery.
Expectations
A final consideration is whether you have realistic expectations of what this procedure can do for you. We will assess your individual circumstance and speak to you about what issues can be fixed and what the result may look like. If you have other aesthetic concerns, you could also benefit from additional treatments such as blepharoplasty for the skin on your eyelid.
In addition, it’s important that you know what the recovery process will entail, as the speed of healing and your final results depend on how well you follow our guidelines. You will need to adjust your sleeping position for several weeks after the procedure and you must be able to take some time off work. Your results won’t all show up instantly but will start to appear in the weeks and even months after your surgery.
Re-Discover Your Smooth Facial Skin
In case you’re suffering from the negative effects of aging, such as wrinkled or sagging skin in your facial area, excess fat or muscle in your neck, or deep creases between your nose and mouth, a facelift could be the way to regain your glowing, youthful complexion. This safe and long-lasting procedure will remove and remodel the skin and deeper tissues of your face so that those unwanted wrinkles disappear.
To book your initial appointment with Dr. Kenneth Sumida and his team, call Nuance Cosmetic Surgery in Folsom, CA today. No matter whether you live locally or in the wider Sacramento, CA area, we will be happy to welcome you to the clinic and speak to you about the various ways we can help you regain your smooth and radiant facial features.