How To Know If You Need a Facelift?
Updated
By Dr. Fan
As we grow older, the gravity and the aging process cause the skin covering our face and neck to sag. We lose skin elasticity, muscles weaken, and the force of gravity pulls everything down. This can cause us to look older than we are or feel, and is something everyone wishes they could reverse.
Do I Need a Facelift?
A facelift is a procedure that can reverse signs of aging and help you look younger and more refreshed by lifting and sculpting the skin, muscles, and soft tissues of the face. However, not everyone is a good candidate for facelift surgery. For some people, non-surgical or other facial rejuvenation procedures are a better fit.
Over the years, Dr. Fan has performed hundreds of facelifts and counseled many more people on alternative procedures to accomplish their goals of looking younger. With that expertise, he's proven there's no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of who needs a facelift and who doesn't.
It's a tough decision and one you should make together with your doctor - a professional who understands your situation and can recommend the best procedure for you. But in this article we want to show you some of the primary considerations so you can know better whether or not you're a good candidate for a facelift or not.
What Makes a Good Facelift Candidate?
Contrary to stereotypical opinion, most people don't want a facelift to make them look like a teenager or model. Most of our patients simply want to look better for their age. Many of them feel great but because of sagging skin, their appearance causes people to ask them if they feel okay.
If you're not looking for the fountain of youth but you want to look and feel more beautiful for your age, you may be an excellent candidate for a facelift.
Generally, facelifts help people who have:
- Prominent jowls or sagging jawline
- Sunken cheeks
- Deep wrinkles and folds around the nose and mouth
- Sagging neck or double chin
Facelifts improve the mid-to-lower face, including the cheeks, jawline, and neck. A facelift is often combined with additional procedures to correct the upper face for total facial rejuvenation. These additional procedures are usually eyelid surgery, brow lift surgery, fat grafting, laser resurfacing, IPL photofacials, and medical grade skin care.
Age: How Old Should You Be?
There is no particular age for a facelift, although most patients are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. Younger patients are now choosing to fight the earliest signs of aging by choosing a less invasive alternative to the traditional facelift, like the Mini Face Lift.
Facelift patients require more extensive treatment and desire longer lasting results than can be provided with injectable fillers and various nonsurgical facial rejuvenation treatments.
If you feel you may be a perfect candidate for a facelift, feel free to submit a virtual consultation request. We will look over your request and reply with our preliminary recommendations of which facial procedures that may fit you the best.
