Facelift

Age affects us all, and the symptoms of aging are often most immediately obvious in the face. Smooth, firm facial skin gives way with time to wrinkles and loose folds that make a person look old and tired. Dr. Robert Rhodes uses only the most advanced facelift surgery techniques to give patients tighter, smoother facial skin.

Candidates for Facelift Surgery Facelift surgery is appropriate for a wide variety of people who want to eliminate loose facial skin and wrinkles surgically. Dr. Rhodes must evaluate each facelift patient at his St. George office near Las Vegas individually, but all good candidates share some common characteristics:

• Realistic Expectations: A good facelift candidate understands the inherent limitations of surgery. A detailed consultation with Dr. Rhodes and the examination of plastic surgery before-and-after pictures of other facelift patients are important parts of knowing what to expect. A patient with realistic expectations is much more likely to be happy with his or her final results.
• Good Overall Health: Good health is a general prerequisite to plastic surgery of any kind. For safety reasons, it is important to keep your doctor informed about medical conditions, medications, and changes in your health. Facelift is an invasive surgery, so patients will need to be strong and healthy enough to withstand surgery and recovery.
• Good Skin Elasticity: Patients whose skin is healthier and more elastic typically enjoy the best results from facelift surgery.

The Facelift Procedure

When performing a facelift, Dr. Rhodes first makes a concealed incision behind the hairline and separates the skin from the underlying muscles and tissue. After tightening the facial muscles to improve the contour of the face, Dr. Rhodes stretches and repositions the skin to make it fit the face more closely and to smooth away wrinkles. Finally, he trims away excess skin from the face at the incision site and closes the incision.

Facelift Recovery and Results

After surgery, the face and head will be bandaged, and patients will be sent home to recover. It is important to plan ahead and take about two weeks away from work for rest and recovery at home. During this time, patients may experience swelling, bruising, and discomfort. Any discomfort can be controlled using medication, and these symptoms will fade over the first few weeks of recovery. Facelift patients should avoid strenuous exercise for at least two weeks after surgery.

When recovering from facelift surgery, it is important to be patient. The results of the surgery will not be immediately evident, but will appear gradually as swelling and bruising fade. This process sometimes takes several weeks. Dr. Rhodes provides complete post-surgical care, including regular checkups, to ensure that healing goes smoothly. Ultimately, the vast majority of facelift patients who visit Dr. Rhodes in St. George, near Las Vegas, are thrilled with their results. Though patients still age normally after facelift surgery, a good procedure can turn back the clock several years on a person's appearance, smoothing and tightening the facial skin and helping him or her look and feel more youthful and more attractive.