Looking for a facelift?

Aging is responsible for many undesirable effects: crow’s feet, forehead lines, nasolabial folds becoming more visible, jaw line softening into jowls, and another chin beneath the chin. Usually, many men and women go through various injections and fillers, but sometimes a patient needs a face lift (surgery).

Facelift abroad is a complex procedure, but its results are accurate and permanent. It is performed under general anesthesia and requires 3-4 hours to complete. Depending on patient’s wishes and other indications (such as patient’s age, possible recovery time and areas to improve) the extent of the surgery is chosen individually: forehead, middle-face, lower-face or full face lift can be carried out.

The traditional facelift surgery begins with an incision in front of the ear extending up into the hairline. The incision curves around the bottom of the ear and then behind it, usually ending near the hairline on the back of the neck. After the skin incision is made, the skin is separated from the deeper tissues with a scalpel or scissors over the cheeks and neck. At this point, the deeper tissues, including SMAS (Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System), can be tightened with sutures, with or without removing some of the excess deeper tissues. The skin is then redraped, and the amount of excess skin to be removed is determined by the surgeon’s judgment and experience. The incisions are then closed with sutures and staples.

Before deciding whether to undergo a facelift, every patient should discuss his/her individual case with a plastic surgeon. Thorough examination is needed for patients having medical (physical and psychological) problems, cigarette smokers, patients with hypertension and diabetes and those who experience hypersensitivity to anaesthesia. See more in FAQs section.

Sutures are removed in 7-14 days following face corrections and depending on wounds, special garments are recommended for around 1 week. Hence, the recommended stay in Lithuania is 7-14 days after the surgery (depending on its extent).

Surgery bruising and swelling are expected for 2-3 weeks, numbness could last for as long as six months. Scars will remain firm and pink for about 6 weeks and then begin to fade over several months.

Possible complications can include: necrosis of the skin flaps, infection, hematoma, nerve injury, hair loss, hypertrophic scars, pigmentation changes, prolonged edema, earlobe traction deformity, chronic pain. The complications are extremely rare, if the patient was indeed a good candidate for the surgery and had followed post-operative advice.