What is the best age for a facelift? And other common questions about facelift surgery
Wondering if it’s time for a facelift? If you’re bothered by loose jowls and deep facial folds, you’re on the right track. When it comes to restoring a more youthful, refreshed appearance, facelift surgery remains the gold standard procedure—an expertly performed facelift can reduce jowling and firm sagging skin, taking around 10 years off a patient’s appearance.
While consulting with an experienced facelift surgeon is the best way to learn what the procedure can achieve for you, reviewing some facelift FAQ’s can be helpful as you do your research, so we’ve answered a few of the top questions Dr. Conway’s patients have when they’re considering a facelift.
What is the best age to have a facelift?
Everyone ages at a different rate, and there is no specific age when a facelift becomes (or is no longer) an option. Dr. Conway has had facelift patients in their early 40s, late 70s and in between. More important indicators for facelift surgery than numerical age are whether a facelift can satisfactorily address your concerns and your overall health.
While you should never rush into plastic surgery, there are benefits to having a facelift at a younger age. First, addressing skin sagging and facial volume loss before they have progressed too far can give you more satisfying, longer-lasting results. Additionally, having a facelift earlier in life can allow you to enjoy the maximum benefits of a rejuvenated face in your professional and social life.
That said, if you want to look younger, even later in life, it’s never too late to get started. It is like the old axiom about planting a tree: the best time to plant a tree was years ago, but the next best time is today. The same is true for facial rejuvenation. It may have been nice to have taken action earlier, but you can still greatly enjoy the benefits of a facelift at any age.
When can I go back to work after a facelift?
While all patients need time at home to rest and heal after facelift surgery, how soon you are ready to get back to work depends on several factors including:
- Physical demands of your job. Those with a desk job can safely return to work much sooner than those with a physically strenuous job—sometimes as soon as 5 days, if you don’t mind your coworkers noticing you’ve had surgery.
- Your personal comfort level. While it’s usually safe to get back to sedentary work within 7 to 10 days after a facelift, residual bruising and swelling may still be evident. If you prefer to keep your facelift private, you will want to wait until these effects are no longer noticeable, typically 2 to 3 weeks after surgery.
- Your individual healing rate. Even if you feel comfortable being in public with some post-operative bruising and swelling, if you are still taking pain medication or working places undue stress on your healing incisions, you will need to stay home until your plastic surgeon agrees that you have healed adequately to do your job safely.
How long will facelift results last?
About ten years is often mentioned, but in truth a facelift sets your visual aging clock back about a decade, and you continue to age from that new apparent age. Thus the idea of how long a facelift will “last” is actually tied to how young you want to look as you age. Some patients have one facelift and are satisfied with looking about a decade younger than their actual age even twenty years later, and never seek another facelift. Others, wanting to retain a youthful appearance into older age, will get touch ups when they notice sagging, and so may choose to have two or three facelifts in their lifetime.
All that said, here are factors in how well a facelift will last—plus what you can do to make yours last longer:
- Your plastic surgeon’s technique. Surgical technique will affect how long your facelift results last. Procedures marketed as “weekend” or “lunch-time” facelifts may have a very short recovery, but often do not address the underlying tissues, which is important to getting noticeable, lasting results. Most patients will be better off investing in a standard facelift procedure. Just be sure to choose a board certified plastic surgeon who is very experienced in facelift surgery for both your safety and your results.
- Your lifestyle habits. A nutritious diet including antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, and proper hydration are all key for healthy, radiant skin, both before and after a facelift. Risky habits such as smoking and tanning can cause facelift results to deteriorate unnecessarily fast.
- How well you take care of your skin. A high-quality skin care routine can make a tremendous difference in how good your facelift results continue to look as you age. At our office, we give all of Dr. Conway’s facelift patients an opportunity to consult with our skin care professionals to develop a personalized post-op skin care routine to help prolong their results.
- Your age, genetics, and skin type. Generally speaking, facelift results tend to last a little longer in patients with darker skin. Younger patients with better skin tone can expect longer-lasting results as well.
Wondering if the time is right for a facelift? We’ll help you decide.
Appropriate timing is key to a safe procedure and a satisfying outcome with any plastic surgery procedure, facelift included. If you are ready to turn back the clock on your appearance, the best first step is to meet with an experienced, board certified plastic surgeon, who will help you understand the benefits and considerations of facelift surgery with respect to your unique needs.
Looking for a facelift surgeon in the Asheville area? Contact us for a consultation with Dr. Conway. He is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and has more than 20 years of experience performing facial plastic surgery. He will be glad to sit down with you and discuss treatment options that will fit your lifestyle and help you restore a more youthful facial profile.