How To Maintain a Facelift

If you have been relying on facials, lotions, and nonsurgical treatments for years, and you’re no longer getting the results you want, it may be time to consider a facelift. A facelift improves age-related face and neck concerns such as sagging skin, flattened cheeks, and a drooping jawline.

Our Coastal Plastic Surgery patients are often concerned about facelift scarring and how to maintain a facelift once they’ve achieved their best results. Those concerns are normal, and we’ve compiled the following information to help you understand what a facelift does, what kind of scarring to expect, and how to maintain and touch up your results.

What Areas Can You Improve With a Facelift?

A facelift can tighten slack skin and restore definition to your jawline and cheeks. The lifting effect of the skin can also smooth out fine lines and wrinkles on your face. While a facelift can lift, tighten, and refresh your face, it can’t add volume to areas such as under the eyes or fill in nasolabial folds. You can follow your facelift procedure with dermal fillers (after your facelift has entirely healed) that can fill in and plump sunken areas of your face.

How To Maintain a Facelift

You are thrilled with your facelift, but do you know how to maintain and extend your results? There are a few things you can do to get the most out of your facelift results.

Choose the Right Plastic Surgeon

Achieving amazing and long-lasting facelift results starts with your plastic surgeon. Make sure to review their qualifications, experience, and the number of facelift procedures they have performed. A plastic surgeon experienced in facelifts can give you the natural-looking results you have been dreaming about. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons offers more information on how to choose your plastic surgeon.

Follow Aftercare Instructions

Make sure to follow all your plastic surgeon’s instructions regarding incision care, managing swelling and bruising, and cleaning your face. When cleared to wash your face after the procedure, avoid any abrasive skincare products that can irritate your skin and impact the healing process. Your healing and recovery process will play a role in how long you are able to maintain your facelift results.

Avoid Sun Exposure

The sun helps your body manufacture vitamin D, but it also emits UVA and UVB rays that can age and damage your skin. After your procedure, make sure to protect your facelift results by using sunscreen daily (at least SPF 30) and wearing protective clothing, hats, and eyewear. By protecting your skin from the sun, you will not only preserve your facelift results but also avoid accelerating other signs of aging, such as wrinkles.

Nourish Your Skin

When your skin is healthy and supple, you can enjoy your facelift results for longer. Hydrate your skin from the outside using a moisturizer and nourish it from the inside with a balanced diet and plenty of liquids. You can also invest in some quality skincare products containing retinol or vitamin C to strengthen your skin. Our medical aesthetician can advise you on other products that will keep your face looking youthful.

Schedule Touch-Up Treatments

While your facelift results should last about 10 years, your face will continue to age as the years go by. Many people find that touch-up treatments with nonsurgical skin tightening options such as microneedling or Ultherapy keep their skin looking firm when it shows new signs of aging. You may also consider occasional laser skin treatments to help skin look more youthful and radiant.

Will I Have Scarring After My Facelift Procedure?

You will have scars after your facelift, but a skilled plastic surgeon will make the incisions so your scars are hidden behind the hairline or in natural skin creases. Keep in mind that your scars will fade and flatten significantly during the months following your procedure.

This woman in her 50s requested facial rejuvenation for “tired” appearance. Shown one month after facelift with malar elevation.

Can I Combine Other Cosmetic Procedures With My Facelift?

If you’re like most people, you have other signs of aging that a facelift alone cannot address. If you have tired, drooping eyelids, for example, now might be a good time to consider an eyelid lift (blepharoplasty). It can often be performed at the same time as your facelift, lifting and tightening your eyelids to enhance your facelift results.

Read our previous blog post to learn about other cosmetic procedures you can pair with your facelift. Be sure to talk with your plastic surgeon to see if you are a good candidate to combine these or other procedures with your facelift.

Ready To Rejuvenate Your Look?

You can maintain and extend your facelift results by following a few simple steps. Men and women who come to our practice for a facelift enjoy their results for a long time, as seen in our patients’ before and after pictures. If you want to lift and tighten your face with a facelift, request a consultation online or call us at (781) 740-7840 to schedule an appointment.