Facelift

Over time, gravity, sun exposure, and the stresses of daily life take their toll on our faces: deep creases appear beside the mouth, the jaw line slackens, and folds and fat deposits appear on the neck. Facelifts counteract these problems by removing fat and tightening skin and muscles, giving your face a fresher, youthful look -- after surgery, some patients appear as much as ten or 15 years younger.  

The procedure can be combined with others (brow lift, eyelid surgery, nose reshaping) for more dramatic results, or it can be restricted to the neck (neck lift) if the patient's problems center there. Incisions are made in inconspicuous places such as behind the hairline and in natural folds of the face and ears, and scars fade to nearly invisible in time. Results of a facelift do not last forever; you may want to have another procedure in five or ten years. But in another sense, the effects are permanent; years later, your face will continue to look better than if you had never had the procedure. 

The best candidate for a face lift is someone whose face and neck have begun to sag,   but whose skin still has some elasticity and whose bone structure is strong and well-defined. Most patients are in their forties to sixties, but facelifts can be done successfully on people in their seventies or eighties as well.

Dr. Wuest’s current approach to facelifting involves breaking the procedure up into parts so the patient can choose what he or she really wants or needs.

From Mini to Full Facelifts - A Graduated Approach -- You Choose How Much -- What Works for You!

Not everyone wants or needs a full facelift, so Dr. Wuest gives his patients the ability to customize their procedure to what fits ther personal style.  Some of these procedures require only a local  anesthetic, however, again the patient has the choice of a local or general anesthesia.

Necklifts

A necklift can be done by using strong sutures to pull up the back of the neck as shown in this before and after photo. The results are natural and show a refreshed look. This is an ideal first step for someone just beginning to show the signs of aging. Or for patients who have had a surgical facelift and want a touch-up.

For men and women with undesirable fat or a large amount of excess skin under the chin, a small incision is made under the chin. Any excess fat is removed. This procedure can be completed under local anesthesia or if the patient is more comfortable general anesthesia. This procedure is for patients with limited signs of aging. Another good candidate is for someone who has the appearance of a “turkey waddle” to their neck.

Cheeklifts

Some patients who are showing more aging may prefer to add a cheeklift to the necklift. The cheeklift can be done with or without liposuction under the chin.  the result the patient desires determines whether the cheeklift will be performed with or without liposuction under the chin.

Cheeklift Without Liposuction Under the Chin

Cheeklift With Liposuction Under the Chin

For patients who who want even more firm look, the upper part of the cheek can be lifted with sutures pulling up toward the eye. This provides the patient with a total rejuvenated, young look and is usually chosen by more mature patients needing the extra lift.

Facelift Spans 19 years

These before and after photos show a patient whose first facelift was in1993 and the third in 2011. Additional procedures were performed to enhance the facelift.