What is a facelift?
Under a facelift is the term used to describe all types and techniques of skin tightening of the face and neck. The aim of a facelift is always to smooth the skin and lift the underlying tissue, giving it a younger, fresher appearance. In addition to a purely surgical facelift, facelift methods can also include numerous minimally invasive procedures such as the thread lift, a PRP treatment or injections with fillers such as Hyaluronic acid or collagen stimulators. If required, Dr Matiasek can also combine the procedures.
What are the reasons for a facelift?
The decision to have a facelift performed is still viewed critically and labelled as pure vanity, even though it is very well established and often openly discussed these days. This is because a facelift is usually based on aesthetic and cosmetic reasons and the desire for a more youthful and fresher appearance. Time leaves its mark on every body and every face. Although there are certainly individual differences in skin ageing, which have to do with factors such as genetics, the type of tissue caused by hormones, metabolism and gender-specific aspects, diet, care and the avoidance of risk factors (UV light, nicotine consumption, mechanical and chemical stimuli, stress), sooner or later every face is affected by wrinkles, sagging, loose skin, blemishes, age spots or changes in colour. In particular, people who experience these changes at an early age often suffer for a long time, as they are seen as older and therefore often experience disadvantages in their professional and private lives. With a facelift, Dr Matiasek can conjure up a more youthful face by reducing wrinkles and giving you a radiant and younger complexion which, depending on the method chosen, will appear very natural and healthy.
Who is suitable for a facelift?
A facelift is generally suitable for anyone who wants a skin rejuvenation procedure and has no contraindications. The contraindications depend on the method chosen. In any case, there should be no acute illness or infection of the skin so as not to damage it further. Surgical facelift methods are usually performed under general anaesthesia, which is why it must also be ruled out in advance whether there are any major cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases or lung diseases that could impair the anaesthetic or lead to a greater risk.
How does a facelift work?
The term „facelift“ actually describes a tightening of the skin in the sense of lifting the tissue and possibly removing excess tissue. This is exactly what is done during a surgical facelift. Through an incision in the area of the ears or the hairline, where small scars are barely or not at all visible later on, the skin is detached from the underlying tissue and sagging muscles, fascia and fat are pulled upwards. Excess, wrinkle-forming skin can be removed if necessary. Minimally invasive facelift techniques work either with substances that stimulate the regeneration of the skin and thus naturally give a younger, fresher complexion, or they are based on the principle of injections (liquid lift), in which different fillers are injected under the skin so that they tighten it from below and thus also have a tightening effect.
What methods are available for a facelift?
Dr Matiasek offers you various methods for a facelift and chooses the one that best suits your individual situation. The differences between the common methods of facelift surgery lie in the way in which the skin is tightened and, above all, which layer is tightened. The skin with its three layers forms the most superficial compartment, below which lies the so-called SMAS (superficial musculo-aponeurotic system) and below that the mimic musculature. In surgical lifting techniques, a basic distinction is made between the deep plane lift and the SMAS technique. In the SMAS technique, the SMAS is mobilised from the overlying skin and both compartments are tightened. With the deep plane facelift, the tissue is mobilised and tightened one level deeper. The SMAS and the overlying skin are separated and the SMAS is lifted away from the underlying tissue, allowing for a more pronounced rejuvenating effect without creating a mask-like face. The Deep Plane Facelift achieves the longest-lasting results. An alternative for less pronounced wrinkles is the so-called Mini-Lift, which is usually performed on the cheeks and in which only the layers of the skin are mobilised and tightened. Compared to the two methods, which work somewhat deeper in the tissue, the mini-lift shows less pronounced, visible results. Other distinguishing criteria relate primarily to the areas of the face that are to be treated. For many patients, an area of the body that is perceived as particularly unattractive, such as the forehead or forehead, is a priority. Chin in the foreground. Dr Matiasek therefore concentrates on this area during the procedure. In the case of very pronounced changes, Dr Matiasek can perform a more extensive combination procedure that includes tightening of the entire face and neck to create a uniform appearance. As Rhytidectomy This classic facelift, which involves a combination procedure, i.e. a lift of the entire face and neck area, is known as a facelift.
Minor procedures that only affect certain areas of the face (partial lifts) include
- Forehead lift
- Treatment of frown lines
- Upper eyelid lift
- Lower eyelid lift
- Treatment of the nasolabial fold
What to look out for before a facelift?
A facelift always begins with a personal consultation and examination with Dr Matiasek. During this consultation, the patient's wishes and expectations are clarified and possible treatment techniques are discussed. The focus of the appointment is on assessing the unwelcome wrinkles or sagging areas of the face that need to be changed. Depending on your wishes and the extent of the signs of ageing, Dr Matiasek will create the most suitable treatment concept for you and explain the exact procedure for the selected treatment. If there are no contraindications or concerns on the part of the patient, an appointment can be made for the procedure.
What results can you expect from a facelift?
If performed precisely and without complications, significantly rejuvenating and long-lasting results can be expected. However, it can take several weeks - until complete healing - before the actual and final results are visible.
What is the procedure for a facelift?
In a classic facelift, the incision is made along the hairline on the forehead and around the ears. Depending on the technique chosen, Dr Matiasek separates the layers of tissue and then tightens them. He removes excess tissue and sutures the remaining tissue under tension. The trick is to find the right tension while maintaining the symmetry of the face. If necessary, the procedure can be combined with an autologous fat transfer or various injection techniques to create more volume under the skin. Partial lifts also have a very similar procedure in principle, only the incision techniques differ slightly. With a Upper eyelid lift Dr Matiasek makes the incision along the eyelid crease so that the scar is later concealed in the eyelid and not visible. With a Neck lift the incision can be made either behind the ear or under the chin and excess fat can then be suctioned out, the superficial neck muscle (platysma) shortened and excess skin removed. In a combined deep plane face and neck lift, deep layers of the face and neck are lifted and the skin above them is tightened. After the operation, you will remain under our observation for one night, with a wound check and dressing change on the following day. Further routine check-ups take place after 1 and 2 weeks, during which the progress of healing is checked.
How painful is a facelift?
Dr Matiasek understandably performs the procedure under adequate anaesthesia so that you do not feel any pain during the procedure. After waking up and after the anaesthetic has worn off, post-operative pain due to irritation and swelling of the tissue is possible. During the stay, this can be treated with intravenous painkillers; on discharge, oral pain-relieving tablets are prescribed if they are not already available at home. Once the wound has healed properly and the swelling has subsided, the pain will steadily decrease in the days following the operation. If this relief fails to materialise or the pain even becomes more severe, you must see Dr Matiasek again immediately to rule out a possible wound infection and treat it if necessary.
How long does a facelift take?
The duration of the procedure depends primarily on the size of the area to be operated on. For a full Rhytidectomy, The operation time increases to up to six hours in the case of a neck and face lift.
What type of anaesthesia is used for a facelift?
The type of anaesthesia also depends on the type of procedure and the surgical area. A complete facelift is performed with a local anaesthetic in combination with a deep twilight sedation. At the patient's request, the procedure can also be performed under general anaesthetic.
What to look out for after a facelift?
Proper aftercare is essential for the final result. Depending on the type and extent of the correction, the healing time takes around two to six weeks, sometimes even longer. Minor procedures such as an eyelid lift or the treatment of a frown line between the eyebrows only have a short healing time; after a few days, you are normally socially acceptable again and can go to work. Accordingly, more extensive procedures require a little more time to heal, the initial swelling and redness are more pronounced and minor bruising is also possible. A facial bandage is usually applied after major surgery to support healing and should be worn for a few days to weeks. After major surgery, you will be able to socialise again after around two weeks, but you should refrain from sport, strenuous physical activity or going to the sauna for a little longer, i.e. a further six weeks. Regardless of the operation, it is advisable to avoid risk factors that have a negative impact on wound healing for as long as possible. These include, in particular, the consumption of alcohol or nicotine. After removing the dressing, the face can be washed with clean water and gently dried. Facial scrubs, washing lotions or creams should be avoided. The healing process can be supported by lymphatic drainage using Endermology (LPG) can be positively influenced after the procedure.
How long do the results of a facelift last?
With a surgical facelift using the deep plane technique with Dr Matiasek, you can expect the results to last up to 15 years. The results of minimally invasive facelift methods are less long-lasting. A thread lift, for example, has a shelf life of around one to two years, while a PRP treatment of about one year and an injection with collagen or Hyaluronic acid remains visible for about six months. The surgical procedure is therefore clearly superior to other techniques. The deep plane facelift, in which Dr Matiasek specialises, offers the longest durability.
How often should a facelift be performed?
A facelift can be performed repeatedly. As the skin is tightened and partially removed during each procedure, the number of possible procedures depends on the existing skin tissue. Normally, a single procedure is sufficient for long-lasting and convincing results.
What are the risks of a facelift?
As with any other surgical procedure, a facelift involves certain risks. These include general surgical complications such as post-operative swelling, bleeding or pain as well as complications that can arise from the anaesthetic. Another very specific, rarely occurring risk of facial surgery is nerve injury, in particular injury to the facial nerve, the facial nerve. Among other things, this supplies the entire mimic musculature and, if damaged, can be accompanied by paralysis of one side of the face. Permanent nerve damage is very rare. Temporary nerve damage due to swelling, haematoma or irritation of the nerves during the procedure is somewhat more likely, but also rare. Such rare symptoms can last for weeks to months after the procedure. Less dramatic but often perceived as very annoying are injuries to smaller sensitive nerve branches, which can lead to sensory disturbances in the treated skin area. However, these should recover within a few weeks. Dr Matiasek will inform you in detail about the possible risks of a facelift and will accompany you throughout the healing process. He will carefully check whether there are any wound healing disorders, infections, problems with scarring or other rare complications such as bleeding.
What are the advantages of a facelift?
The advantages of a surgical facelift over minimally invasive methods lie in particular in the superiority of the visual result and the longevity of the method. While minimally invasive techniques only reach the upper layers of the skin, a surgical lift reaches into the deeper layers of tissue and, depending on the technique, even into the bony structures of the face. By lifting the SMAS in particular, the overlying layers of fat, connective tissue and skin are also tightened. This approach to the deeper layers has proven to be particularly effective and long-lasting. The removal of excess skin in particular offers the advantage over other methods that the tighter appearance remains for longer.
What are the alternatives to a facelift?
Possible alternatives to a surgical, classic facelift have already been mentioned; these are primarily various minimally invasive methods of wrinkle treatment. Alternatively, Dr Matiasek offers the following techniques if you would like a facelift without surgery:
- The thread lift, in which special threads are inserted into the skin with a microneedle and pull it slightly upwards with little tension, creating a tightening effect. (Link!)
- Morpheus 8 treatment (Link!)
- Another alternative is the use of fillers, i.e. different substances that are injected under the skin and achieve a tightening effect on the overlying skin due to their volume. By using substances that occur naturally in the skin texture such as Hyaluronic acid or collagen, an additional tissue-regenerating effect is achieved. (Link!)
- Botox injections are another common alternative. Used professionally and in adequate doses, they have a targeted paralysing effect on individual muscle groups, which also cramp and wrinkle less due to the reduced tension. (Link!)
- PRP treatments (autologous blood treatment) are a relatively new alternative. Here, specially prepared blood plasma is injected, which has a regenerating and rejuvenating effect in addition to the typical filler effect. (Link!)
All of the alternative techniques mentioned are non-surgical procedures, meaning they do not require a scalpel, lengthy wound healing, general anaesthesia or hospitalisation. Both the wound healing time and the downtime are significantly shorter than with a surgical facelift. The disadvantage, however, is the shorter durability, meaning that the procedures described would have to be repeated regularly to achieve a long-term effect.
How much does a facelift cost?
The cost of a facelift depends, among other things, on the method chosen. Dr Matiasek will be happy to inform you about the exact costs during a personal consultation in his practice.
Will the health insurance companies cover the costs?
A facelift is rarely a health and medically necessary procedure, for example in cases of severe asymmetry of the halves of the face or a congenital lesion of the facial nerve (facial nerve). In individual cases, such as the lifting of sagging, drooping eyelids, there may be exceptions if there are considerable restrictions. In this case, you may need to consult your health insurance provider.
