Why Facelift?Are you a Good Candidate?What is a Facelift?Techniques Types of Facelifts Recovery Potential Risks and Complications Additional Facelift Procedures FAQ

Summary of Facelift

Cost :

$11,300 - $20,500

Surgery Length:

1 - 3.5 Hours

See why other doctors take 6-7 Hours to do this procedure

Anesthesia :

Local or General Anesthesia

Recovery :

1 - 4 Weeks - Full Activity

Synopsis

The effects of aging, gravity and sun exposure can leave your face looking older than you feel. Delicate skin of the lower face and neck descends as we age, creating a heavier look with jowls, deep wrinkles, and a sagging neck. A facelift is designed to restore a youthful contour to the lower face and neck while maintaining a natural appearance; This procedure redefines the jawline, reduces deep facial wrinkles, lifts sagging jowls, and restores a youthful neckline.

It is of great importance for a facelift to look natural, and not obvious. The days of looking “pulled” are over; At SixSurgery with extensive surgical experience and the most up to date state of the art techniques, we are known for exceptionally natural looking results. Our Facelift surgeries take place at our luxurious Royal York Hotel, where your privacy, comfort, and safety are unparalleled.

Why Facelift

As you age your skin loses elasticity, and muscle tone decreases along with a loss of fatty tissue beneath the skin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles. A rhytidectomy, more commonly known as a facelift, will remove loose and droopy skin in the lower face, jowls and neck. By redraping the skin and tightening underlying facial musculature, a facelift enhances the tautness of the facial skin and restores a smooth and youthful appearance.

Repositioning of facial fat:

Loose and sagging facial skin can make a person appear a lot older than they actually are, while taut facial skin is a sign of youthful vitality. The most up to date and innovative facelift techniques can remove loose skin from the lower face and neck creating a more vibrant, youthful appearance.

Removal of wrinkles:

A facelift can help smooth and reduce deep wrinkles, smile lines, and creases around the mouth and chin which are a telltale sign of ageing.

Tightening loose skin

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Are You a
Good Candidate?

The ideal candidate for a Mommy Makeover Surgery is a healthy woman of any age who has stopped breastfeeding and does not plan any further pregnancies. A Mommy Makeover is not a good idea for women who intend to have more children, as further pregnancies post-Mommy Makeover will undo all the work that has been done.

Loose skin and stretch marks around and below the midsection

Tired sad look

Excess skin at your lower jaw line (jowls)

Excess fat and sagging skin on the neck, causing double chin or “turkey neck”

Drooping facial fat, creating exaggerated jowls

Good Health

You should be in good health and be free of any major medical conditions prior to Your surgery. This is key for proper healing and recovery after your procedure.

Expectations

Most importantly, you should have realistic expectations about your goals for surgery. Ideally, you want to look like a revitalized, refreshed version of yourself. The best way to determine if you’re a candidate is to come in for your consultation.

Skin Condition

Your skin should have some amount of flexibility. A facelift is designed to lift sagging skin and remove deep wrinkles, and not to leave skin in a stretched or pulled position.

Bone Structure

A well-defined underlying bone structure in your face will provide needed support for the alterations that occur during a facelift.

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How the Surgery is Performed

A Facelift is performed using either local anesthesia with sedation or under general anesthesia. The SixSurgery team will determine the best type of anesthesia to use based on your procedure and medical history. In addition to the anesthesia, numbing medication is used in the facial area to ensure that you will be comfortable when you wake up from surgery. Incisions are typically made around and behind the ears, and discretely following the hairline. The skin is carefully raised from the lower face and neck area, followed by liposuction and fat grafting as required. The underlying muscular layer (SMAS) is addressed and excess skin is carefully removed and meticulously sutured. Because incisions are carefully placed within the natural folds found in front, inside and behind the ear, the scars fade to being barely noticeable. This type of surgery produces a natural, long-lasting effect, with minimal postoperative discomfort.

SixSurgery’s Minimally Invasive Facelift Technique

A Mommy Makeover Procedure generally involves the combination of two or more surgical procedures performed in one stage; these typically include a combination of a Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, and a Breast Lift and Augmentation (with breast implants or Fat Transfer). However, a Mommy Makeover can also be staged into multiple surgeries and include other procedures such as a Breast Reduction, labiaplasty, or Liposuction of other stubborn areas. A Thigh Lift, Arm lift, and Butt Lift may also be incorporated as well. During your private consultation at the Toronto Cosmetic Surgery Institute, the team will work with you to design the ideal approach to address your unique needs for a Mommy Makeover.

Our Innovative Facelift Surgical Techniques

The SixSurgery team offers several techniques that can be used during a facelift to give individualized results to patients. Over the past several decades aesthetic surgeons have gained a greater understanding of how aging affects the skin and muscular tissue. A shift in focus away from “tightening” the skin, and instead focusing on repositioning underlying musculature has lead to more natural results. The SixSurgery team focuses primarily on a minimally invasive superficial procedure that involves the repositioning of the Superficial MusculoAponeurotic System, also known as SMAS. A SMAS facelift allows the superficial musculoaponeurotic system and skin to be separated and manipulated in different directions with different tensions. This, in turn, creates a natural and long-lasting result. A SMAS facelift is an effective and less invasive procedure than a deep-plane
facelift. A deep-plane facelift involves the SMAS and skin being lifted and tightened together instead of being separated. In a well-known study, renowned experts performed facelifts on sets of twins. One twin received a more superficial facelift,

While the other twin received a deep-plane facelift. The experts followed the twins for over 10 years, and the results were very similar. And remarkably, the surgeon who pioneered the deep plane facelift now no longer does them. Our SixSurgery team utilizes the surgical technique that was championed by the renown Dr. Dan Baker (one of the best known facelift surgeons in the world), and Dr. Harold Silver, who was known for his “3 day facelifts,” because by using his technique a patient could go back to work looking normal within 3 days. The SixSurgery team also includes the ‘High SMAS’ technique
taught by the world famous Dr. Tim Marten.

Recovery

After the procedure, a loose fitting bandage dressing is applied. There will be some discoloration and swelling around the face and neck area, but this should improve over the next 7 - 10 days.

Pain after surgery can generally be managed with prescribed pain medication, although in many cases, patients only require over-the-counter pain medication.

You will need to keep your head elevated as much as possible, and avoid strenuous activities for 2 - 3 weeks. Ensure you have all the necessary Post-Surgery Facelift Recovery Supplies and Products for optimal results.

You will spend the first night following surgery in one of the beautifully appointed rooms in the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, and you will be seen the following morning by a SixSurgery team member before being released to go home. This allows for a safer recovery and more convenient post-surgical appointment. Having our staff visit you in your hotel room the next day as opposed to driving back to the clinic allows for a stress free and convenient recovery.

The SixSurgery team will see you at regularly scheduled intervals during the weeks following the surgery. This is done so that your surgeon can personally monitor your recovery process, and to ensure that you have the best results possible.

Additional Procedures

A facelift is often combined with the following enhancement procedures for a full facial rejuvenation:

Blepharoplasty - Eyelid Surgery: Most Common

Eyelid surgery is the most common procedure to be combined with a facelift. In fact, these procedures are performed together more often than not. While a facelift focuses on the cheeks, jowls and neck area, eyelid surgery addresses other issues that may affect your appearance.

Reasons for having eyelid surgery in conjunction with a facelift include

Amount of sagging or drooping (ptosis) of existing breasts

Amount and integrity of natural breast tissue

Desired look – natural or fake

Body shape and size

Lifestyle and physical activity

There are two types of blepharoplasty surgeries. Depending on your needs and goals, you may need one or both performed

Upper Blepharoplasty

Lower Blepharoplasty

Platysmaplasty - Neck lift

A neck lift is a procedure that helps address skin redundancy or deformity and involves an incision that is placed behind the ear and usually beneath the chin.

Eyebrow Lift

If you find that your brows are saggy, heavy looking, or that your forehead looks tired, a Browlift can provide an opportunity to not only reverse the wrinkling and loss of tone and shape in your brow, but can also change a heavy or asymmetrical brow. A Browlift, otherwise known as Forehead Lift or Browplasty, is also often combined with Upper Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty), as descended eyebrows normally contribute to drooping eyelids.

Facelift FAQs

Would I benefit more from a regular facelift or mid facelift?Who is a good candidate for a facelift?What are the different types of facelift surgery?What type of facelift is best?How long does the procedure take?Why do other surgeons take 6-8 hours to do this procedure?Do I need a “mini” or a “traditional” facelift?Can I have other procedures in combination with a facelift?Is there any preparation needed before surgery?What type of scarring can I expect?If I plan on losing weight, should I do this before the surgery Will Facelift results be permanent?

Would I benefit more from a regular facelift or mid facelift?

This depends on the particular areas of your face that you would like to change. If hollow cheeks and wrinkles beneath the eyes are a problem for you, a mid facelift could be a great solution. If you also have excess and sagging skin around the neck and jawline, you may want to consider a full facelift in combination with a mid facelift. In your consultation, The SixSurgery team will be able to assess your unique facial anatomy in order to determine which procedures would benefit you the most.

Who is a good candidate for a facelift?

Anyone who has loose and lax facial and neck skin can benefit from this procedure. There is no particular age restriction for a facelift.

What are the different types of facelift surgery?

There are many different types, including deep facelift surgery, S-lift, mini facelift, SMAS facelift(s), traditional facelift, mid-facelift and others. Each has its own recovery times and is usually decided by the surgeon.

What type of facelift is best?

The vast array of facelift techniques can be bewildering: deep plane, high SMAS, short scar, skin only, MACS lift, SMASectomy and the list goes on. The debate between a “Deep” facelift and a “Skin Only” facelift has been going on for years. Both can create beautiful results. Deep facelifts take a lot longer to heal and patients remain swollen for a longer time. A twin study where one twin had a deep plane facelift and the other twin had simpler facelift demonstrated that at two years after the surgery there was no visible difference between the quality of results.

It is more important for you to find the right surgeon than for you to try and decide with technique is “best.” Look at the results of facelifts done by a surgeon, regardless of the technique used. If you like the results, you’re on the road to finding the results you are looking for.

SixSurgery intends to make patients look younger and more refreshed through minimally invasive superficial procedures rather than deep plane procedures. We find that these results have generate beautiful results for our patients while decreasing the downtime and significantly lowering the risk of complications.

How long does the procedure take?

A facelift takes anywhere from 2 – 3 hours; if additional procedures are added at the same time, such as eyelid surgery, the procedure will take anywhere from 3 – 4 hours.

Why do other surgeons take 6-8 hours to do this procedure?

The length of time it takes for a procedure depends on the type of the technique used (some techniques take much longer than others) and on the surgeon’s comfort with the procedure.

Many surgeons still perform the older deep plane technique. In this procedure the facial nerve can be exposed and therefore it is crucial that a slow and meticulous technique is used to avoid injuring the facial nerve. In contrast, the SixSurgery team’s technique does not expose the facial nerve and therefore the step which requires careful and slow dissection is not required. The benefit is not only a lower risk of nerve injury, but a much shorter operative time (and thus lower risk of overall complications)

Do I need a “mini” or a “traditional” facelift?

A “mini” facelift is most effective in younger patients needing only a small amount of correction. A traditional facelift addresses the neck, jowls and mid-face.

Can I have other procedures in combination with a facelift?

Most often, a facelift is combined with a blepharoplasty, more commonly known as eyelid surgery, to correct drooping upper eyelids and puffy bags below the eyes. A brow lift is also often employed to smooth wrinkles on the forehead.

Is there any preparation needed before the surgery?

You should stop smoking at least two weeks prior to surgery, as smoking can seriously impede the healing process. Avoid aspirin and aspirin products in the weeks leading up to your surgery. In addition, the SixSurgery team will review your medications with you during your initial consultation, and may recommend stopping certain medications before your surgery.

What type of scarring can I expect?

Incisions are carefully concealed in areas of the skin where creases naturally occur. Facelift incisions heal well and often go undetected after only a few months.

Will I have scars after the surgery?

A degree of scarring after any surgery is inevitable. However, the SixSurgery Team is renowned for their minimal scars and will make every effort to ensure that your incisions heal beautifully. Wherever possible, we will also carefully place incisions where they are either well concealed on your body or can be easily hidden by clothing. Most women are so pleased with the outcome of their surgery that scars are not a concern.

If I plan on losing weight, should I do this before the surgery

Losing a few pounds won’t make that much of a difference. If you plan to lose a large amount of weight, greater than 30 pounds, for example, then you should wait until you lose the weight and your weight is stabilized.

Will Facelift results be permanent?

How long a facelift lasts depends on many factors. If you live a healthy lifestyle you can expect the results to last a long time, but gravity and aging will play a role in how long the appearance lasts. A facelift doesn’t stop facial aging. You will continue to age, but from a new starting point.