Face Lift, Men

If you are planning facial surgery or neck surgery, your surgeon will evaluate your entire head-face-neck region. As well as the general considerations there are thinks to consider such as:

• Q, Is the hairline receding?
• Q, How full are your sideburns?
• Q, Does the beard-growing skin extend up the cheeks or down the neck?

In general, it's known that male facial skin has a richer blood supply than female facial skin. Male faces bleed more during surgery and are at greater risk for forming a temporary collection or pooling of blood under the skin, called a haematoma, after surgery. Scarring that may result from surgery may be more difficult for men to hide, since they don't wear make-up or style their hair toward their faces, as many women do.

Hair growth and beard growth may play a major role in the outcome of a facelift. If you are balding or have thinning hair, surgical artistry may be required to hide the facelift incision, especially in the temple area. If the hair-bearing skin of your upper neck is pulled behind your ears during surgery, you may find that you must shave behind your ears or the back of your neck. However, laser hair removal or electrolysis can be used to correct this problem.

What it Does

The changes are naturally pleasing giving a much younger look. Shaping the face by removing, repositioning or adding soft tissue, rather than by just tightening the skin and muscles, is considered the key to achieving the most harmonious results in facial rejuvenation. The most significant degree of improvement is usually seen in the area of the jowls, the lower face and the neck.

Before opting for a face lift, it is important to understand what it can and cannot do. A facelift or neck lift can tighten loose skin and muscle and remove or reposition excess fat and eliminate sagging. What it does not do is treat lines and wrinkles, and it does not really address volume loss, unless fat transfers or fillers are done at the same time.

In general, you will have a better and more natural result- a refreshed appearance – at a younger age, when the signs of ageing are just beginning to appear but are not full blown, rather than waiting until later. Some people will only feel they need one facelift in their lifetime, but others may have a second surgery seven to 12 years later, when the tissues will probably have relaxed again.

What is Involved?

Facelift surgery is performed under general anaesthesia and at our hospitals your hair will be held back with rubber bands during surgery and the hair does not usually need to be shaved. There is no one preferred method of face lifting and our surgeons will tailor their operation to the individual patient’s needs and goals.

Although the actual facelift incisions vary, they generally start above the hairline at the temples and continue along a line in front of the ear or just inside the cartilage at the front of the ear, behind the earlobe and sometimes into the scalp. Another small incision is often made under the chin. Today’s modified techniques may reduce the incision to three or four inches in total, usually by reducing the scar that extends behind the ear and avoiding altering the hairline.

During the lift, the surgeon separates the skin from the underlying fat and muscle. The underlying muscle fascia is tightened along with the platysma muscle in the neck. Excess fat is removed. After the deep tissues are tightened, the excess skin is pulled up and back and then trimmed. The incisions are closed with stitches and/or staples on the scalp. A dressing is applied to protect the entire area.

What Are The Risks?

Most post-operative numbness is temporary. Poor or delayed healing of the skin may occur in people who have very thin skin. Skin sloughing around the incisions is a rare complication that may occur, especially in smokers. Thickened or raised scars are a possible consequence of facelift surgery. A small shift in the position of the hairline is common.

Informing your surgeon about how you wear your hair is a good idea so that they can plan the incisions accordingly, to avoid any potential scarring that may be a problem. Drainage may be required for collections of fluid or blood. Injury to the nerves that control facial muscles is a potential serious complication. Asymmetries or irregular contours are another possible consequence of facelift surgery. A small tube may be inserted under the skin behind your ear for a day or two To drain any blood that might collect.

Post-Op Effects and Recovery Time

Keep your head elevated above heart level when lying down. Your surgeon will advise that you rest for 72 hours, to avoid placing added tension on the scars. Dressings are usually removed within one to five days and most stitches can be removed after five days. Once the bandages are removed you can shower and shampoo your hair.

Avoid alcohol, steam baths and saunas for several weeks. Some tightness and numbness can be expected for a few weeks or longer. Some people experience areas of hardness, especially around the cheeks, chin and neck, caused by swelling. Strenuous activities like heavy lifting and rigorous exercise should be avoided for three weeks.

Major social engagements should be postponed for four weeks. There can be some discomfort for several days after surgery and you will be given a prescription for medication to alleviate it. The neck may feel tight, and ears may feel tense.

Before and After images

Click thumbnails for larger images.

The next step

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