Facelift in Sydney
If you would like to look like a younger version of yourself, facelift may be your best options. The procedure minimises common signs of ageing and restores more youthful contours and definition to the facial features. A/Prof Damian Marucci is an experienced plastic surgeon offering facelift in Sydney and the surrounding areas.
What does facelift address?
Facelift addresses most of the signs of ageing in the mid and lower areas of the face. This includes:
- Sagging around the cheeks
- Deep lines and creases around the nose and mouth
- Excess fat and skin under the chin
Using incisions hidden around the ear, the skin of the face is elevated and the underlying facial layer (the “SMAS”) is tightened. The tightening has the effect of smoothing out the creases and wrinkles. The skin is then re-draped and any excess skin around the ear is trimmed. It is the underlying SMAS facial layer and not the skin that is maintaining the lift — this prevents the scars from stretching and the earlobes from deforming.
Note that facelift generally does not improve signs of ageing around the eyes, eyebrows and forehead. Eyelid surgery and brow lift are more effective in treating those areas.
How can jowls be treated?
Jowls are an early sign of facial ageing. For very mild jowls, dermal fillers can be of use. For a more permanent and effective result, many patients would benefit from a facelift procedure. Dr. Marucci commonly performs a small amount of jowl liposuction to empty the jowl at the time of facelift.
What is the recovery like after a facelift?
Dr. Marucci performs facelift as day surgery. Sydney facelift patients go home with drains on each side that come out behind the ears. There are stitches in front of the ear and, depending on what needs to be done, there may also be stitches behind the ears, staples in the scalp and stitches underneath the chin. No two faces or facelifts are the same. Patients go home with a chin-strap binder which provides support to the upper neck and some mild compression on the cheeks. Patients are given tablet antibiotics and painkillers.
Dr. Marucci sees all patients the day after their surgery in order to check that all is well and remove the drains. Patients can then go back home and have a nice shower with soap and shampoo. They are asked to apply ordinary Vaseline to the stitches and to take it easy. The stitches in front of the ear come out after one week (and the ones under the chin, if present). The staples in the scalp come out at 2 weeks.
Patients should plan for 2 to 3 weeks downtime following a facelift. It is closer to 2 weeks for a short scar facelift (where the incision doesn’t extend behind the ear and not too much work is done on the neck), and closer to 3 weeks when the whole face and neck have been lifted (this usually involves an incision under the chin as well). The limiting factor is swelling and bruising.
Although patients are able to wash their hair the day after surgery, it is preferred that they wear a chin-strap garment day and night for the first week, then only at night after that.
Speak to Our Sydney Facelift Surgeon
For more information about facelift surgery and recovery, call or email A/Prof Damian Marucci today. He serves all of Sydney, including Kogarah, Miranda and the surrounding areas.