How To Have A Rhytidectomy Done
April 14, 2009
A Rhytidectomy is the medical term for the more commonly used face lift. Many people opt for face lifts especially when they want to look younger and particularly if their profession requires them to retain a youthful look.
What Is A Rhytidectomy
One of the natural processes of ageing is the appearance of wrinkles, crows’s feet, deepening of the lines around the mouth and sagging skin. No matter how much care you take care of your skin, and at what age your start taking care of it, sooner or later the signs of ageing appear. After a particular stage anti-wrinkle and other creams and facials will lose the battle against ageing skin.
Why Is It Done
That is where a surgeon’s skill can help restore a youthful appearance to the skin and the face with a Rhytidectomy. There are many different kinds of face lifts, but the end result is a younger looking face. Usually a face lift is done along with a neck lift because it does not make sense of the skin of the face should have a youthful appearance, but the wrinkles on the neck give you away!
Celebrities and people in the public eye often are prime candidates for this procedure. However, many ordinary people, too, who are conscious of their appearance go in for face lifts.
How Is The Surgery Done
Usually incisions are made at various places and the excess skin is removed. If there is extra fat, that will be removed as will sagging muscles. The skin will be pulled upwards to counteract the effects of gravity and remove wrinkles. Fine sutures will anchor the skin in place and these sutures are put in such a way that they are virtually invisible.
After the surgery, the face is bandaged and sometimes tubes are put in place to drain any accumulated fluids. Generally the surgery takes two to three hours and can be done under local or general anesthesia. Sometimes an overnight stay is recommended, at other times, the patient is allowed to go home after a few hours.
Recovery Time
Swelling disappears within a few days, and bruising should go within two weeks. Within three weeks you should feel quite normal and there is usually very little pain after this procedure. You can have a mini face lift or a more extensive one, and your doctor may recommend other procedures along with the face lift for a better appearance. So the time taken for recovery will also vary. If there is a great deal of swelling, it may take up to six months for full recovery. You will also have to take care of your skin, so that the face lift lasts a longer time. Normally it should last 7-10 years.
Side Effects
Apart from some pain and bruising, there are usually few side effects if you are in the hands of a competent surgeon. Your face may feel numb for some time and you will be advised to avoid water and make-up for some time. You may also be advised to use sun block when going out in the sun.
Cost Of Surgery
This type of surgery is not covered by medical insurance. In fact more people would probably have it, if it was not so expensive. It can cost anywhere from between $6000 and $12000. It may even be possible to get a loan to get this done, if you are really desperate.
Other Resource:
http://www.courthouseclinics.com/cosmeticsurgery/facelift.asp
http://www.aafprs.org/patient/procedures/rhytidectomy.html
http://www.surgery.org/public/procedures/facelift
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Patients_and_Consumers/Procedures/Cosmetic_Procedures/Facelift.html
Sharon is a 49 year old woman who always took pride in her appearance, but was not happy with the visible signs of aging of the face such as jowls, wrinkly neck, sagging cheeks and lines in the forehead. She had her eyes done a few years earlier so she decided on a face lift.
According to her the first 24 hours are the worst because of the drainage tubes which need to be attended to. She did not experience much pain (with the exception of perhaps a sore throat due to the anesthesiology). By day 12, the bruising was gone, but there was till some swelling.
She said, “Today is day 20, most of my face still feels numb, especially the forehead and scalp, but the swelling is not very obvious. I can’t open my mouth wide enough to eat a sandwich but can take small bites of anything desired. However, I look great! I can definitely say that a positive change has occurred and it is worth every day of slight discomfort I have just experienced.”
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