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Facelift

Facelifts are an excellent way to elevate the tissues of the lower face, restore definition to the jaw line, and re-create more youthful facial contours. If you're contemplating face lift surgery in Anchorage, you have a number of choices. At Alaska Center for Ear, Nose, and Throat, we have found that patients benefit from meeting with multiple surgeons before scheduling their procedures.

If you'd like to meet with our cosmetic surgeons, go online now to request a consultation, or call (907) 279-8800 to schedule an appointment to speak with a member of our team.

Procedure

If you've researched face lifts, then you know there are several types. Trying to figure out the best approach requires input from a surgeon. At ACENT, our physicians will gladly answer any questions you have about the various techniques and thoroughly explain what will occur during your face lift. Our surgeons in Anchorage create lasting face lift results while minimizing the risks. In performing the facelift, the surgeon will:

• Make a small incision at the temple, above your hairline so that you can wear your hair short or pulled up without a visible scar
• Extend the incision downward, along your skin's natural crease the edge of the ear, below the lobe and behind your ear
• Anchor the lift to the thin layer of muscle just below the skin using permanent sutures to avoid the sagging that occurred with traditional skin-only facelifts
• Remove any excess skin and re-drape what remains

We perform the procedure at an outpatient surgery center. It may take several hours, depending on the extent of the surgery and whether or not you are having other procedures performed at the same time. Many patients choose to have a brow lift, neck lift or an eyelid lift when getting a face lift.

Recovery

We examine our patients the day after surgery to ensure there are no complications. After about a week, we remove any non-dissolving sutures. Follow-up appointments are scheduled for 1 month and 3 months after the surgery. Bruising and swelling may take up to 2 weeks to clear and incisions are likely to remain red during that time. Many patients can hide the incisions with their hair and most feel comfortable going out socially around 1 or 2 weeks post-op. Patients, on average, miss about 2 weeks of work after a facelift. Additionally, you must avoid strenuous activities until healing is complete.