Face-Lift Surgery (Rhytidectomy) with Dr Faizal Anwar

Face-Lift (Rhytidectomy)

This procedure tightens sagging and loose skin of the face to restore a youthful appearance. The techniques used for face lifts have changed a lot over the past years. Newer techniques allow faster recovery & lower risks . Early on, face-lifts just tightened skin, today's face-lifts do more by repositioning muscle, skin, and fat. Dr Faizal Anwar applies the latest technique for his face lift procedures to give maximum comfort, expected results & peace of mind to his patients.

Dr Faizal Anwar suggests, the best candidates for face-lift surgery are people who show some signs of facial aging but still have some skin elasticity. Generally, this includes people who are in their 40s to 70s, although older people occasionally are candidates.

Before you get a face-lift, you should be in good health and have realistic expectations. A face-lift won't completely erase your years; the goal is to have a refreshed, less tired look.

Face-Lift Consultation With Dr Faizal Anwar

Once you have decided to explore a face-lift, Dr Faizal Anwar will have a thorough consultation before booking you in.

Dr Faizal Anwar will discuss about your goals for your face-lift, what you would like to change and why. He will also talk about your current health and take a very detailed medical history from you. Such as, are you on any prescription drugs or supplements and whether you smoke, as smoking can raise the risks of cosmetic surgery and may cause slow healing. Although this habit does not automatically keep someone from qualifying for a facelift, Dr Faizal Anwar will suggest the patient to stop smoking for at least two weeks before and two weeks after the surgery, if not longer.

It is important for a patient to be honest with the doctor, especially regarding health history. Certain medical conditions, such as autoimmune disorders or heart disease, can increase the risks of cosmetic surgery. Although not all underlying conditions will prevent a patient from receiving a facelift, it is important for the surgeon to know about these concerns so that necessary precautions can be taken.

Dr Faizal Anwar will consider all of this, examine your face, and talk with you about your options because it can also be that you don't need a face-lift but just need a more minor procedure that will achieve your goals. Sometimes Dr Faizal Anwar will suggest certain minor changes to add on such as a chin implant or Lip Fillers to further enhance the total results.

At your consultation, Dr Faizal Anwar will also talk to you about risks involved with the procedure in detail.

Surgery Technique For Face-Lift

Dr Faizal Anwar believes that face-lift is the most extensive way to remove or reduce the appearance of wrinkles and sagging of the face caused by age and sun damage. During the face-lift procedure, the skin is literally lifted off the face so that the tissues beneath can be tightened and the skin can be repositioned smoothly over the face.

For the procedure, Dr Faizal Anwar will suggest either given general anaesthesia or a sedative through an intravenous line and local anaesthesia/nerve block to numb your skin. Next, Dr Faizal Anwar makes an incision that starts in the temple area and circles around the front of the ear. If performing the neck lift in the same sitting or performing an S-Lift, to tighten sagging jowls and loose skin under the chin, Dr Faizal Anwar will extend the incision from the ear lobe to behind the ear to the lower scalp.

Dr Faizal Anwar will then raise the skin, and the muscle and tissue underneath called SMAS, will be tightened. Some fat tissue may also be removed. The skin is then redraped over the face and the incision is sutured. The incision usually falls along the hairline or in a place where the skin would naturally crease so that it does not show after the surgery.

Some people are able to have a limited-incision face-lift. This surgery uses shorter incisions at the temple and close to the ear. Sometimes an incision is made within the lower eyelid or under the upper lip.

The surgery usually takes several hours. Dr Faizal Anwar performs face-lifts as a day surgery so that you may be able to go home on the same day.

Recovery After Face-Lift Surgery

Your face will be bandaged after the surgery and a compression garment, which is strongly recommended by Dr Faizal Anwar, would be applied. The dressings are usually removed 1 to 2 days later. If a drainage tube has been placed (usually behind the ear), it will also be removed 1 to 2 days after the surgery. Dr Faizal Anwar will remove the sutures after 10 days.

Dr Faizal Anwar may prescribe medicines to relieve pain after the surgery. Expect to have swelling and bruising of the face. Cold compresses can help relieve these side effects. You should try to keep your head elevated and still as much as possible.

As mentioned earlier, it is important to avoid smoking and even second-hand smoke for 2 to 4 weeks before and after surgery. Tobacco smoke increases the risk for skin and tissue death and will delay your face's healing process and make scarring worse.

Most people can return to their normal activities 2 to 3 weeks after a facelift.

At first your face will feel stiff and there might be uneven muscle movement when talking or eating. This will probably look and feel strange to you. This is normal, but it is important to be prepared for it, as the full extent of healing from a facelift surgery is between 8-12 weeks.

Numbness of the skin may last for months after the surgery. Your skin may feel rough and dry for a few months. Men sometimes have to shave in new places because the skin has been rearranged, but laser hair removal or electrolysis can be used for beard hairs that have shifted to a new position.

Expected Results

According to Dr Faizal Anwar, having a face-lift can make your face appear younger and healthier. Your face will continue to age, but a face-lift does indeed "take years off" your face. For some people, this may increase self-confidence and reduce anxiety over growing older.

A face-lift can reduce signs of aging to a great extent. But it cannot remove all facial wrinkles around the eyes, below the nose, and around the lips. For best results, you may want to have a face-lift and then treat any skin damage.

Risks

Complications that may be caused by having a face-lift include:

• Infection 
• Bleeding under the skin.
• Damage to the nerves that supply the muscles of the face. This can cause paralysis or spasm in the face, but the effects are usually temporary.
• Reactions to the anaesthesia.
• Numbness (in areas of your face) that may last 6 months to a year.
• Hair loss.
• Tissue loss.
• Scarring

As with all cosmetic procedures, there is also the risk that the results will not be what you expected. Dr Faizal Anwar will give you a very clear idea of what to expect after surgery during consultation as he strongly believes that it is very important in cosmetic surgery, to manage the expectations & demands of the patient well. This will result in happy & contented patients.