Facelift

Full facial rejuvenation procedures are performed on people, generally over the age of 50, in whom signs of aging have appeared across the whole face. It is important that the patient has no general health problems preventing surgery and that, if they have high blood pressure, this has been brought under control beforehand.

The operation is most often begun with fat injections. Fat tissue taken from the body and purified is given around the eyes, to the midface, to the nasolabial lines and to the Marionette lines running down from the corners of the lips. If deemed necessary, fat injection is also performed on the lips. If the patient has a problem in the upper face, forehead lift or brow lift procedures can be carried out. This may be in the form of an endoscopic forehead lift, or it can also be done by extending the facelift incision to the temple region. Then the upper and lower eyelids are operated on. The midface can be addressed through the lower eyelid incision. In a full facelift, the skin of the face and neck is lifted with the help of an incision that starts in front of the ear, turns behind the ear if necessary and from there extends into the hair-bearing scalp. If there is not much of a problem in the neck, the scar is left only in front of the ear. This procedure is called a short-scar facelift. The SMAS layer, a layer located under the skin that also includes our facial expression muscles, is tightened with sutures according to the patient's needs, and the deep layer of the face is shaped. If this is not done, patients return to their former state a short time after the facelift. If there is fat accumulation in the neck, the fat is generally removed with the help of liposuction. If the vertical bands in the neck are prominent and there is a turkey-neck appearance, the neck is opened through a short incision made under the chin and the neck muscles are sutured together. This procedure defines the neck angle. If the chin bone is set back, it is made more prominent with chin implants or fat injections. The Marionette lines running down from the corners of the lips are filled with fat injections. If the lower half of the face is fatty, it can be slimmed with liposuction. The excess skin of the face and neck is cut away and removed. The scars are sutured so that they are hidden in front of and behind the ear and within the hair. Dermabrasion can be performed for vertical smoker's lines above the lip, and chemical peeling procedures for fine wrinkles around the eyes.

As in all operations, in full facial rejuvenation procedures it is necessary to stop aspirin and smoking 3 weeks before the operation. In the last 1 week it is necessary to stay away from medicines and similar substances that may thin the blood.

Things that should not be used:

Painkillers such as Apranax, Voltaren, Vermidon (when a painkiller is needed, Minoset, Novalgin can be used),

Multivitamin pills containing substances such as ginseng, ginkgo biloba, coenzyme Q,

Herbal products such as green tea, flaxseed, cherry stalk, tomato seed

All slimming products

Full facial rejuvenation operations are carried out in an operating theatre setting, under general anaesthesia or deep sedation.

Full facelift operations take approximately 3-5 hours, and around 5-7 hours if the eyelids are also included.

Facelift procedures are not painful. Patients complain of a feeling of tightness and pressure rather than pain. This also passes within a few days. What worries patients more than pain is swelling and bruising. It can be said that facial rejuvenation procedures are generally painless.

After facelift procedures, patients are kept in hospital for 1 night. The next day the drains are removed and they are discharged. Swelling and bruising largely subside within a week. The stitches are removed after six days. The patient can shower 48 hours after the operation. It may take 20 days for the swelling and bruising to pass. However, for the face to settle completely and take on its final shape may take up to three months, depending on skin thickness and the procedures performed. As after all facial operations, the patient needs to protect themselves from direct sun for 3 months.

Swelling and bruising are expected problems and are temporary. In the early period, bleeding is an important problem. To prevent this, the patient must not use blood thinners before the operation, blood pressure must be brought under control if the patient has hypertension, and blood pressure must be kept low during and after the operation. If it nevertheless occurs, the patient is taken back to surgery and the bleeding is stopped. There may be persistent oedema in the neck and midface. Softening and slimming of the neck and midface region may take longer than expected. In such situations, supportive methods such as lymphatic drainage massage, radiofrequency and deep tissue ultrasound can be used. After facelift procedures, paralysis or weakness of movement may be seen in the eyebrow or lower lip. This rarely becomes permanent. It usually passes within a few days, but may sometimes last for weeks.

One of the most feared problems after face and neck lifts is wound healing difficulties and skin loss. This problem may be encountered especially where excessive tightening has been done, in patients who have bleeding after the operation, and in smokers. For this reason, smoking must have been stopped completely at least three weeks beforehand.

The aging process continues after the operation too, and some loosening and sagging occur in the areas that were tightened. However, this never returns to the state before the operation. The permanence of the operation varies according to the technique used and the patient's characteristics. In those with thick and oily skin, sagging occurs earlier.