Are You a Good Facelift Candidate?

Facelift surgery can create dramatic changes for patients, sometimes taking off up to 10 years from their appearance. If you have been considering this anti-aging procedure for yourself, it’s important to learn more about what helps prospective patients become good facelift candidates. To determine whether a facelift is the right surgery for you, and whether you’re the right candidate for a facelift, schedule a consultation with a credentialed plastic surgeon. Until then, read up on the factors that can make you a good fit for this life-changing procedure.

What a Facelift Does

Before you can truly know if a facelift is right for you, it’s essential to understand how this surgery works and what it can do for you. Knowing what facelifts correct can help you identify if your signs of aging would be improved by the procedure. A facelift surgery will concentrate on the lower third of the face, including the chin and jawline. Sagging skin, fatty deposits gathered at the chin, jowls forming at the jaw, and lines around the mouth and nose can all be corrected with a well-performed facelift.

Mostly caused by time and gravity, these aging signs can add years to the face. As the skin ages, elastin and collagen break down, increasing its laxity. Fat slides down from upper areas of the face, collecting around the jaw, all because of gravity’s pull. These are normal issues that occur as the body ages, but you don’t have to put up with them anymore if you’re eligible for a facelift.

If you still can’t determine whether a facelift would solve your visible aging, try a simple test in front of a mirror. Using two fingers, pull the skin of your lower face up and back, as gently as you can. If you see youthfulness return immediately to your face, it’s time to schedule your facelift consultation.

What Healthy Patients Look Like

Of course, your health plays a major factor in the determination to name you a good candidate for any cosmetic surgery. Your lifestyle and habits, your medical history, and your current state of health will all be considered to make this decision. Ideally, good facelift candidates are in overall good health, do not smoke, and do not have any conditions that may hinder the healing process. Your recent medical history should not include any major surgeries from which you might not yet be healed nor any serious illnesses that might cause complications.

Outstanding candidates for a facelift may also have good daily habits for skincare. Your facelift results will last much longer if your face is well cared for, inside and out. Adopting a good skincare routine is one way to make yourself a better candidate, but also an excellent way to stay looking great for years to come.

Why Weight Matters

Many patients are unclear about the way weight can play a factor in deciding a patient’s eligibility. While there is no magical number on the scale that all patients should aim for, it truly does matter whether or not you are overweight. Those who are very overweight or obese may not see satisfying results from a facelift, as the surgeon will only be able to remove enough fat cells to look natural while still looking younger. In these cases, over-slimming the face can be a disaster, but many of these patients don’t want to keep any of the excess fat on their faces. If you are 20 pounds or more overweight, your plastic surgeon may recommend you postpone your facelift until you can get closer to your target weight. This will only help you to achieve the optimum results from your surgery.

Why Expectations Should Be Realistic

The best facelift candidates have a good grasp on what they can anticipate after their surgery ends. In fact, realistic expectations of your facelift results can help a surgeon decide you are eligible. Patients must understand that facelifts are a delicate procedure that can do a lot to reverse many of the signs of aging, but they can’t take multiple decades from your look. Your surgeon won’t make promises he cannot keep, so your consultation will likely involve a conversation about typical results for patients with features and aging signs similar to yours. You will be able to see before and after photos of past patients to better understand the changes that are possible. Once you’re clear on the results you can expect to see, your surgeon will be ready to snap some “before” photos of you and start scheduling your facelift procedure.

Why the Surgeon Matters

Choose a reputable board certified plastic surgeon to perform your facelift procedure in order to get the optimum results for your face. By selecting the right surgeon, you will maximize your chances for great results while minimizing your risk for complications. Dr. Ronald Lohner is an experienced and board certified plastic surgeon based in Philadelphia who offers other body shaping procedures to his patients, including butt lift, thigh lift, tummy tuck, arm lift, and the Mommy Makeover. He completed his undergraduate education at Dartmouth College and medical school at UMDNJ-Rutgers. Currently, Dr. Lohner is Chief of Plastic Surgery at Bryn Mawr Hospital and holds a faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. His peers have selected him as a Philadelphia area Top Doctor for the last eight years. His office is located at [primary_address] in [primary_city], [primary_statefull], on the Main Line. Please call his office at [primary_phone] to schedule a consultation for your liposuction procedure.