Facelift

You can eat well, use the most expensive face creams on the market and still, the signs of aging are going to catch up with you. A facelift, or rhytidectomy, allows Dr. Stephen Davis to tighten the facial muscles and tissues, improve skin tone and address fine lines and wrinkles. More than 125,000 facelifts are performed in the U.S. every year.

Clients often seek rhytidectomies because they wish to look younger or have a specific area of the face that seems to have aged faster than the rest. In some cases, clients might choose to combine a facelift with other procedures, such as chin and cheek implants.

To determine if you are a candidate for a facelift, contact us and schedule your consultation.

• Stephen Davis is a highly qualified plastic surgeon with certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is also a fellow of the American College of Plastic Surgeons.
• Our practice has been helping Nashville area clients realize their aesthetic goals for over two decades.
• We focus on your comfort and safety from start to finish, including aftercare.

Not everyone can benefit from getting a facelift. Typically, candidates demonstrate signs of facial skin laxity in the midface and neck area while still having some skin elasticity. Clients should be healthy and have realistic expectations for their surgery.

Some reasons to consider getting a facelift, include:

• Being unhappy with sagging facial skin
• Experiencing jowls and facial folds
• Wanting better muscle tone in the face
• Having excess skin on the chin and neck
• Loss of a defined jawline

While Dr. Davis will customize your facelift procedure to address your specific concerns, there are two main types of facelifts, and what separates them from each other is which parts of the face they target. These are the mini-lift and the traditional facelift.

A mini-facelift is best for those who have minimal skin sagging and the beginning signs of jowl development and creasing. The mini-lift is less invasive and requires smaller incisions.

The traditional facelift is best for those with moderate to advanced signs of aging on the mid-face and neck areas. A standard facelift is more extensive than a mini-lift, but it also provides the most dramatic results.

Dr. Davis performs facelift surgery at The Atrium, a specialty operating facility at Centennial Hospital. The procedure is done under general anesthesia, and the client’s vital signs are carefully monitored throughout the process.

The specifics of how the surgery is performed will depend on the type of facelift selected. A traditional facelift commonly involves making small incisions just inside the hairline, following the contour in front of the ear, and continuing under the earlobe to the backside of the ear and to the lower scalp. Tissue and fat deposits are separated, the skin is stretched and tightened and any excess skin is removed.

If the neck line requires attention, an additional incision is made under the chin and the same procedure is again followed. Minuscule stitches are used to close the incisions and to reduce any chance of scarring. Metal clips or staples may also be utilized at the hairline.

After surgery, the face is fitted with bandages in order to decrease the recovery time and to reduce swelling. Most clients are able to return home the same day as the surgery. However, they will need someone to help them get home and settled. During your first week after surgery, you will need to focus on resting and recovering as it can help speed up the healing and recovery process. You can expect some bruising and swelling that may mask the results of surgery for a while.

The stitches, clips or staples are normally removed within a week. Dr. Davis will let you know when it is okay to start engaging in some of your typical activities. Everyone heals differently, so it’s important to follow Dr. Davis’ post-operative instructions and listen to your body.

It’s possible to notice a change shortly after surgery but do not expect to see the final results right away. It’s important to give your body time to heal before evaluating the quality of your facelift. Keep in mind that most clients continue to have swelling for at least 6 months, which means it can take that long for the end results to be visible.

If you are unhappy with the sagging, jowling or creasing in your face and neck, a facelift could offer the changes you desire. Take the next step and contact us to schedule your Nashville facelift consultation.