Liposuction for Your Facelift: Do You Need It?
During your facelift, many small changes will be made to help you achieve dramatic improvements to your appearance. From muscle tightening to skin excision, your plastic surgeon will be busy erasing the years from your lower face and your overall look. Among these changes, it may be necessary to remove or redistribute some of the excess fat cells that have accumulated around the chin and jawline. Will you need liposuction to perfect your facelift results?
How Is a Facelift Performed?
The conventional facelift begins with an incision along the patient’s hairline near the temple, continuing in front of and underneath the ear, and then following the hairline down toward the back of the head. Some patients may require a separate small incision underneath the chin for additional tightening in this area. Once the incisions are made, the skin will be lifted and separated from the underlying layers of muscle and fat. Any unwanted skin, fat, and tissue are removed. The remaining tissues and muscles are tightened to increase support in the lower face. Finally, the incisions are closed and your procedure is complete.
Why Is Liposuction Used for Facelift Surgery?
Rewind a little bit to the part about removing fat and you’ll see just where liposuction may come into play during your facelift surgery. The aging process can dislodge fat cells from the upper portions of the face, while gravity drags it downward to the chin and jaw. When this happens, this excess fat must be removed or redistributed to smooth out the treatment area and achieve a more youthful contour. While liposuction is predominantly used to reshape areas of the body, it can sometimes be helpful in treating the jaw, neck and jowls as well.
If your plastic surgeon opts to incorporate liposuction into your facelift procedure, he or she will only do so if it’s necessary. It’s much easier to remove small pockets of fat without liposuction. If the amount gets to a certain point, however, liposuction techniques become a better alternative. Either way, you will know ahead of time what steps will be taken. Don’t worry about an increased risk or a longer recovery time, either. Liposuction will not increase your risk factors during surgery or cause you to spend extra time on the couch healing.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Facelift Surgery?
To be eligible for facelift surgery, you should be in good overall health, not smoke, and have realistic expectations about your results. You will meet with your plastic surgeon to discuss your medical history, personal habits, daily medications, and more. Be open and honest with your surgeon so that he or she can assess whether you are a good fit for facelift surgery.
What About Overweight Facelift Patients?
Prospective patients who are overweight tend to store excess fat cells in the chin, jowls, and neck. If you are deemed eligible for facelift surgery and you are overweight, the chances of liposuction being involved in your procedure are much higher. However, there are no guarantees that you will be accepted as a facelift patient if you are overweight or obese and that’s for your own safety.
Overweight patients are at a higher risk for adverse reactions to anesthetics and sedatives used during a facelift surgery. Furthermore, their results may be unpredictable and fall short of the desired ideal. After surgery, patients who lose or gain weight can even see unsatisfactory facelift results. In general, patients who are more than 30 percent away from their ideal body weight (based on height and age) should avoid most cosmetic surgeries until they have lost the weight and achieved a healthier form.
Book a Consultation to Plan Your Facelift
If you’re ready to plan for your own facelift surgery, it’s time to meet with the right surgeon. Consult with Dr. Ronald Lohner, an experienced and board certified plastic surgeon based in Philadelphia. 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.