- Facelift is actually describes both a face and neck lift. A facelift is designed to improve the neck, jawline, and the face. However, a faceneckjawlift is too cumbersome to say so facelift is the accepted terminology.
- The average plastic surgeon performs only 12 facelifts per year. That means a surgeon with 20 years of experience may have only performed 200 or fewer facelifts. It is said that a facelift surgeon needs to have performed a minimum of 300 facelifts before they are considered competent. Make sure you go to a surgeon with enough experience. For example, Dr. Shah has performed over 1000 facelifts.
- A facelift can be performed while you are awake. Patients now have a choice for which type of anesthesia for a facelift, which includes general, iv sedation, and local anesthesia.
- The first facelift was said to be performed in Berlin Germany by Eugene Hollander in 1901. He lifted a portion of skin, removed it and sutured the skin. Unfortunately, this skin only approach, while technically easier to perform has been shown to not be effective and is still used by many surgeons today.
- The neck muscle called the platysma actually goes into more than half of the face. This relationship was first described by Dr. Anil Shah and Rosenberg in 2007. This muscle is actually one of the more important aspects which should be addressed in a facelift, yet is done by only a select few.
Facial Plastic Surgery | Chicago, IL
Anil Shah MD FACS SC