Face Lift

‘Having thought long and hard about a face lift and having met with 4 plastic surgeons throughout the country, I decided to have my surgery preformed at Cosmedico. The deciding factor was no general anaesthetic and in fact my only medication during surgery was 2 xanax! I walked in and out of the theatre and even I can’t believe now, 9 days later, that I even had surgery. It’s only when I look in the mirror and see no turkey neck and no jowls that I know I really did it.. Practically no bruising. It’s really hard to believe. Nothing like I expected. My friends and family are speechless as they were so concerned given what we see on the TV with faces bruised and covered in bandage etc. I will speak with anyone who is contemplating this surgery and tell them to look for further than Cosmedico. Thank you all so much for the care and giving me a new confidence that I thought was gone forever’

Maura, Sligo.
17th July, 2010.

Without doubt, this is an operation that we strongly advise our perspective to do their research extensively. Surgeons specializing in this area are not easy to find as many plastic surgeons opt not to include this procedure in their portfolio. We are very privileged to have 2 plastic surgeons on our team who count this procedure as one of the their areas of expertise. We are performing an average of 2-3 face lifts a week. It is our understanding that this figure cannot be surpassed by any other clinic or hospital. We attribute this particular rise in our procedure rate for face lifts to the fact that we can offer this operation under local anaesthetic or just sedation. This is the wonder of the technique and experience of the surgeons on our esteemed team. We were aware of some clients opting for the short-term but expensive tread lift treatment currently carried out in beauty salons etc as they were concerned about a general anaesthetic. Consequently this is therefore no longer a consideration and our patients can truly enjoy the results of a lower face and neck lift for a much longer and ultimately less expensive time.

As we age, the skin loses its elasticity, the muscles in our face loose their tone and the skin begins to sag. For these reasons and because many women and men wish to retain their youthful appearance, the face lift procedure is coming more and more popular.

It most be noted that at the time of your consultation, your surgeon will give you all the options available to you and then you can decide for yourself what is best for your particular requirements. Here at Cosmedico we are rarely asked by perspective clients to perform a full face lift. Clients have areas of concern that they want treated. Perhaps is in the mid face or the jowls or maybe just the lower face and neck. They just want a ‘Nip & Tuck’ with as quick down-time as possible.

The modified facelift can be preformed along with an endoscopic mid-check or endoscopic brow lift to give the optimum results.

Please consult our page on Endoscopic facelifts and brow lifts for further information.

When facial surgery is carried out by professional, experienced plastic surgeon the results can be, quite simply, terrific. Clients can look 5 – 10 years younger following a facelift. Not only does a facelift improve facial appearance but also has a dramatic effect on the neck, enhancing its contour and profile. The most significant degree of improvement is usually seen in the area of the jowls, the lower face and the neck and this is the area that interests most patients. A sagging neck with loosened skin plus dropped cheeks with a poor jowl line definition give patients a tired, old and unattractive expression.

The operation usually takes 2 and half hours and involves a scar in front of and behind the ear. We use a so-called minimal scar technique (because the scar never goes into the scalp) and the final result is in an “S” shape. This is normally complimented with a liposuction of the neck. It is our belief that the face lift should always be superficial and deep (double plane or mixed technique). A skin-lift on its own has a very poor long term result. We really believe that all the facial muscle system (called SMAS) should be lifted as well in any face lift surgery. This requires a very good knowledge of the anatomy to avoid nerve damage which can be permanent and very hard to fix.

Some alternatives for patients to consider:

Facial implants: They have a brilliant aesthetic result and are long lasting. There are many different types of implants for every anatomical facial area. The two most popular ones: the chin implant and the cheek implants.

Chin implant: A small chin completely modifies the entire facial physiognomy making the expression unattractive.

A very small implant can make an enormous change to your whole profile. The operation takes 45 minutes and can be done under local anaesthetic. The scar is inside the mouth and the post-operative time is usually very good.

Cheek augmentation. Many patients are not happy with their zygomatic bone (cheek bone) because it is very small and the middle face has not got a good definition. The implants offer a very good solution. The operation takes 1 hour and can be done under local anaesthetic. The scar can be inside the mouth, on the lower eyelid or in the scalp (under endoscopic assistance).These approaches are very good and that the choices should depend on the surgeon’s ability and on the patient’s anatomy.

Cheek Augmentation Non-Surgically

This is a relatively new technique and involves the use of a ‘filler’ to bring back the volume and definition to the cheeks that are lost with the ageing process. The results last for approximately 9 month – 1 year and this is becoming a hugely popular procedure at COSMEDICO.