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Face Lift in New Jersey
Dr. David Evdokimow
It's frustrating to feel young and vibrant when your outer appearance doesn't reflect that youthful energy. To keep you looking as young as you feel, you may want to join the many other men and women who have chosen a face lift in New Jersey from Dr. David Evdokimow. A face lift can reduce deep creases, eliminate loose or sagging skin in the mid face and lower face (jowls), and reposition fat compartments of the face to its younger stage- preserving facial volume.
To learn more about face lift surgery with a board-certified plastic surgeon, you can request your consultation online or call Dr. David Evdokimow's offices at 908-221-1136. We serve men and women from New Jersey, New York and the rest of the country.
About Facial Aging and Face Lift Surgery
A young face is a full face. The skin and the deep structures are firmly attached to the facial skeleton with help of ligaments. As time goes on, volume loss appears in all facial planes – bone, facial muscles, fat compartments, subcutaneous fat and skin. The volume loss begins when people are in their mid twenties and progresses differently for each individual. Factors that contribute to facial aging are: gravity, facial expressions, sun damage, environmental influences, stress, and smoking.
The first signs of aging to appear include: descent of the corners of the mouth, wrinkles around the eyes, loose skin around the eyes (bags), jowls, and deep creases around the nose, mouth, and cheeks. A face lift (also know as a facial rhytidectomy) is a sound and logical way to reverse these signs of aging. The procedure improves the contour of the neck and the jaw line. The facial tissue is repositioned to its younger anatomical location. Then, the skin is redraped and a conservative amount of skin is removed.
The procedure will not address signs of aging in the upper or lower eyelids, the position of the eyebrow, or forehead wrinkles. These conditions can be improved with other procedures, such as eyelid surgery in New Jersey. Dr. Evdokimow will discuss your options with you during the initial consultation.
Because the aging process affects each facelift New Jersey patient differently, the extent of the face lift procedure will depend on the extent of facial aging. In general, face lift procedures are classified as "full" or "limited."
- Limited face lift. These procedures address specific concerns for specific patients. Candidates are generally younger patients with minimal facial aging or people looking for moderate improvement and are unwilling to undergo extensive surgery. The procedure can be performed through a shorter incision in front of the ear without extension in the hairline or behind the ear. The procedure's main indication is for patients who are primarily concerned with jowls, but feel that the central part of their neck is acceptable. While, in experienced hands, a limited face lift gives reasonable results with short downtime, this is an area of facial surgery that is abused by unqualified providers, so be sure to check the credentials of your surgeon.
- Full face lift. This procedure can be a logical way to address the aging face. It involves a longer incision and more undermining of the soft tissue of the face. However, it also achieves more dramatic improvement of the face and neck.
Before the Procedure
The most important part of your facelift consultation at Dr. Evdokimow's plastic surgery New Jersey offices will be to determine the degree of facial aging. The face and neck are evaluated as whole unit. The condition of forehead/eyebrows, eyelids, and nose are evaluated so that the final result preserves facial harmony. After listening carefully to your goals and concerns, and conducting a thorough physical exam, a personalized treatment plan will be developed. The location and extent of skin incisions and resulting scars will be discussed in detail. Clinical photographs will be taken.
Your overall health and any medications you take will be assessed during your consultation. Dr. Evdokimow will explain the precautions you can take to ensure safety and optimal results. For example, Aspirin® and other NSAIDs should be discontinued 2 weeks prior to the procedure. Smoking (or use of nicotine products such as gum or patches) should be discontinued 4 weeks prior to the procedure. It's very important for patients with high blood pressure to recognize that their blood pressure must be under control before, during, and after the procedure. For these patients, additional consultation with your medical doctor may be required.
During your consultation with Dr. Evdokimow, you may decide to pursue other procedures that can improve the results of your face lift. Non-surgical options include injectable fillers, Botox, and laser skin rejuvenation. Surgical procedures that improve face lift results include eyelid surgery, neck lift or a brow lift (to reduce signs of aging in the upper part of your face). It may also be combined with rhinoplasty or ear surgery. You can learn more about paired procedures during your consultation.
Facelift in New Jersey
The surgery is usually performed as an outpatient procedure in a hospital or surgical center under general anesthesia. If your facelift is combined with other procedures (such as brow lift, rhinoplasty, chin surgery), or if you have preexisting medical conditions (especially high blood pressure), overnight observation might be required.
During a full face and neck lift, incisions may be made in front of the hair line or in the hair of the temple area, around the ear and the ear lobe and then behind the ear, and in the hairline at the back of the neck. An additional incision under the chin is optional. The skin is undermined toward the nose and towards the midline of the neck. The soft tissue of the face and the neck are manipulated and lifted. The neck muscle is tightened. Then, the skin is redraped without tension and the excess skin is removed. Additional volume-adding procedures such as fat injections are performed simultaneously. The skin incisions are closed and a loose dressing applied.
Limited face lifts differ by the length of the skin incision and the degree of soft tissue undermining.
After Surgery
Typically, Dr. David Evdokimow sees the NJ facelift patient the day after the surgery. At that time, bandages are changed; drains (if present) are removed. Sutures are removed in 5 to 7 days. Visible swelling resolves at 7 to 10 days. Bruising resolves after approximately 2 weeks. The patient may resume normal physical activities during the first week. Strenuous exercise should be avoided for 4 to 6 weeks. The final results should be evaluated in 4 to 6 weeks when all the residual swelling and bruising has disappeared. Numbness of the skin, face and neck can persist up to 6 months.
Complications are rare; hematoma formation (small collections of blood under the skin) and delayed wound healing in smokers are the most common complications. Weakness of the facial nerve is uncommon and resolved spontaneously in the majority of the cases. The branch responsible for the downward pull of the lower lip is most commonly affected.
