Ever wondered why a face-lift is such a popular and sought after cosmetic procedure? When a person ages, one of the places that often noticeably shows wear and tear is the facial area. A person's facial appearance makes a strong first impression. Even though they might not intend to, people often make conscious and unconscious judgments about each other, based merely on facial appearance. Sometimes these judgments are based in fact, other times the reasoning may be faulty and based on a person's genetic predispositions, instead.
Accurate reads can occur as a result of expressions worn on the face. One smiles and appears to be happy or their frown makes them appear upset. But sometimes the reads are inaccurate. A person with eyes that are close together may appear insincere; thin lips may make a person appear stingy; wrinkles may cause them to appear older than they really are. A face lift can lift up a person's face and cause them to look refreshed as well as years younger.
A lifestyle lift is a modified version of the full traditional one. If a person needs a bit of tightening up in the facial region, they may not require a full job. The lifestyle lift entails placing "S" shaped incisions behind and in front of a patient's ears. The muscles are then drawn up tightly with permanent sutures before the area is stitched closed. This reportedly causes the sagging in the jowl and jawline to tighten into a crisper profile. Less down time and anesthesia is required with this modified method.
A traditional procedure takes from three to five hours in order to perform. An overnight hospital stay is required and the operation is usually performed under general anesthesia. The incisions of a traditional facelift are placed in the hair bearing regions of the scalp behind the ears in order to keep them from being visible. Fat, tissue and redundant skin are removed from the lower portion of the face during the operation.
One would be back to work from a traditional procedure within two to three weeks. They are able to resume all activities within four weeks. Patients who have undergone the lifestyle procedure are reportedly able to return to a regular active regime more quickly.
There is a bit of controversy surrounding the lifestyle procedure. Some feel that it is not as effective or long lasting as the tried and true method of the classic method. It is always wise to make an appointment for a consultation with a reputable plastic surgeon in order to learn which technique would be the best one for an individual needs.