Definition and objectives

Ageing of the « skin envelope » is characterised by thinner, more wrinkled skin around the eyes, nose and mouth. Facial fat becomes thinner and moves away from the orifices to become localised in the jowls (thus breaking the line of the oval of the face) and chin (creating the classic double chin). This applies to both men and women.

The term ‘facelift’ is often associated with treatment for facial wrinkles which is partly wrong. In fact, repositioning skin which has stretched can have a positive effect on some wrinkles but is ineffective for most wrinkles around the eyes, nose and lips which need to be treated with botulinum toxin, fillers and volumising injections.

There are several types of facelift depending on the facial area in question: cervico-facelift, temple or «mannequin » facelift, and full forehead-temple-facelift. What they all have in common is to treat loosening of the tissues of the face, eyelids and neck. This does not involve pulling the skin back, which is a fragile structure, but rather acts on the muscles and deep tissues.

Prior to surgery

A preoperative examination is conducted in the course of which the patient informs the anaesthetist of his or her medical and surgical history and any medication taken.

During the preoperative consultation, the plastic surgeon carries out an analysis of skin ageing and small facial deformities in order to decide with the patient the type of operation to be performed. Photographs of former patients before and after surgery are compared with patient photographs to guide the choices made.

The patient is hospitalised for 1 to 2 days, depending on the complexity of the operation.

The operation

General anaesthesia is usually used. There are three types of facelift:

- Cervico-facelift: this is a classic facelift. It corrects the contours of the face and its essential volume (cheeks and neck). It reworks the balance of the face along the line of the « oval of the face », « chin projection » and the « angle between the neck and face ». This technique, which protects the skin, gives more lasting, more natural results with shorter scars. It therefore has much more straightforward After the operation than conventional facelift techniques which involve detaching the skin.

- Temple lift or « mannequin lift». This facelift involves treating the lateral area of the eyebrow (above and to the side). Commonly combined with Botox, it allows drooping eyebrows to be repositioned with a mini-incision hidden in the hair. Video-surgery is sometimes used for this type of intervention.

- Full forehead-temple-facelift. This type of facelift involves the whole face and is a « cumbersome » technique due to the aggression the skin is subject to, scarring and After the operation. It is therefore reserved for reconstructive surgery following accidents or for facial deformities. The current trend is to perform simpler techniques and to use associated treatment such as Botox injections and/or hyaluronic acid.

After the operation

The patient can return to work part-time from the first week and full-time after 15 days.

Result

Facelifts have to be systematically maintained in order to sustain the benefits of the operation. Medical techniques such as injectable products, laser, peeling and mesotherapy are therefore recommended after surgery and offered as a function of skin type and degree of ageing.

Possible complications

Even when this is simple, a facelift is a surgical intervention that needs to be carried out in an approved surgical clinic offering optimum medical safety conditions.

The complications are specific to each type of facelift and each patient, and are discussed by the surgeon during the preoperative consultation.