Facelift Revision

What Is Facelift Revision?

A facelift is designed to restore the youthful contours and appearance to the tissues of the neck, jawline, and lower midface. The natural process of aging can cause skin, muscle, and other soft tissues to lose elasticity and descend, creating deep folds and excess skin. In capable, experienced hands, a facelift can address these issues with beautiful and natural-looking results. However, if you received a facelift and the outcome was not as expected or desired, you may wish to consider a revision of the surgery performed by our leading plastic surgeon, Dr. Mark Richards.

Reasons for Facelift Revision

A person may be dissatisfied with a previous facelift for a number of reasons. This dissatisfaction can lead to frustration and  self-consciousness about that person’s appearance, negating the main reason facelifts are undertaken in the first place. Our board certified plastic surgeon can often help by evaluating the previous facelift and correcting the problems neglected or brought on by it. Dr. Richards utilizes the most advanced techniques available and remains at the forefront of his field for this procedure. He has helped many patients address unwanted effects from an imperfect facelift and restore their appearance with lasting results.

Primary Facelift Complications

When a proper facelift is performed using the traditional technique, sagging features of the lower face are tightened upwards as well as behind the ear. This rejuvenating effect, created by re-suspending the deeper tissues, is coupled with the elimination of excess skin in order to create a more youthful aesthetic to the lower third of the face. Problems often arise with facelift techniques that are not designed to address issues that arise in the mid-facial features, particularly the cheeks and eyelids. These features tend to droop due to aging. A traditional facelift – which attempts to pull these features, can actually cause a distorted appearance. With the natural aging process, the mid-facial features are pulled down by gravity, which can ultimately lead to mid-facial incongruity if they were not addressed at the same time as a facelift. In other words, mid-facial features will look much older than lower facial features. This result can even occur if the facelift was properly performed. A revision facial rejuvenation procedure, such as a cheek lift, may be necessary in order to reverse these effects.

Facelifts using older techniques can distort other features. For instance: the earlobe is stretched forward, resulting in a typically undesirable appearance that necessitates a secondary facelift to correct the problem. Another issue that can occur is the ignoring of the upper facial features, typically resulting in an older-looking upper eye region and forehead, contrasted with a youthful neck and jawline.

Facelift Revision Procedure

Patients who have had an unsatisfactory facelift may feel they are left with results that are even less attractive than if they’d had no surgery at all. The good news for these patients is that facelift and facial rejuvenation revision surgery is frequently possible – and Dr. Richards is highly adept at this delicate procedure. Dr. Richards has lectured in the US and internationally on secondary facelift surgery, and understands the concerns of those patients who need it.

Identifying and correcting the fundamental issues that lead to a patient’s dissatisfaction with his or her facial appearance in the first place is the key to revision facelift surgery. Dr. Richards will typically apply vertical suspension techniques that will restore natural curves to the face. The cheeks and brows will be pushed up to counter the flattening effects of previous horizontal pulling and gravity that caused dissatisfaction with facial appearance. As a result, the aesthetics of the eyelids and brows are improved by creating gentle curves in those areas, reinforcing the youthful oval shape of the face. Dr. Richards also makes use of “hidden” incisions, such as in the inside of the mouth and in the scalp. This minimizes the chances of visible scarring.

Recovery Following Revision Facelift

Every person’s experience and treatment plan is unique, and therefore the recovery may also vary from individual to individual. Generally speaking, your healing process following facelift revision should be similar to or shorter than that of your initial facelift. On occasion you may have a slightly longer recovery, depending on the complexity of your revision procedure, your unique rate of healing, and other factors, you may have a slightly longer recovery. As with the original facelift, some swelling, bruising, and discomfort are to be expected, and medication will be provided to manage your pain should you experience any. The majority of the swelling and bruising should fade over the course of about two or three weeks, and you should have a good idea of the final results after a few months.

Cost of a Facelift Revision

Facelift revision is typically a more complex procedure than the original operation, as Dr. Richards often must undo undesirable post-surgical effects before rejuvenating the patient’s appearance. As a result, facelift revision may or may not be more expensive than the initial surgery. During your consultation with Dr. Richards, he will discuss your needs and goals, develop a tailored treatment plan, and review the details with you. Our medical team will also go over the anticipated cost of your facelift revision, including the surgeon’s fee, anesthesiology fee, hospital facility fee, and other expected costs, so you can be well-informed. If you have any questions about your plan, payment options, or any stage of your procedure, we welcome your inquiries and encourage open discussion.

Why Choose Dr. Richards for Your Facelift Revision

Dr. Richards has been acknowledged as one of the world’s experts in revising previous facelift surgeries. He has been named and quoted in such press as the New York Times newspaper, Parade Magazine, USA Today Weekender magazine, and discussed on Larry King Live, among other media accolades. Professionally, he has lectured to plastic surgeons at academic meetings both in the United States and Internationally on one of his favorite topics – “Salvaging the Unsatisfactory Facelift.”

Dr. Richards finds his revisional facial rejuvenation work to be very rewarding due to the improvements that can be made in people who have all but given up.

Revision surgery on a previous facelift procedure can provide facial rejuvenation more suited to the patient’s goals as well as yielding long-lasting results. If you are dissatisfied with the results of a prior facelift surgery, please contact us to schedule a consultation. Dr. Richards will be happy to meet with you and discuss the revision facelift procedure in detail.