Real Patient Photos

Face Procedures

Facelift
Mini Facelifts
• Temple Lift
• Midface Lift
• S-Lift
• Neck Lift
• "G" Suture
Forehead
Eyelid Lift
Rhinoplasty
Otoplasty
Torn Earlobe
Cauliflower Ear
BOTOX® Cosmetic
Lipostructure
Filler Substances
Lips
Facial Implants
Witch's Chin

Who is a Candidate?

Men and women in their 40s, 50s and 60s are the most common patients for facial plastic surgery in Frederick. In this age range, it's not uncommon to see signs of aging on areas your face including lines along side of the nose, grooves from the corners of the mouth, jowls, and redundant skin on the neck and lower face.

Ready to learn more about facelift? Start seeing what's possible when you view facelift photos from actual patients of the practice. When you're ready, request a consultation with Dr. Kress at the office of Plastic Surgery One on Opossumtown Pike in Frederick.

Facelift in Frederick, Maryland

Facelifts are performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia with sedation, or under general anesthesia.

The incisions vary significantly depending upon hairlines and facial features, but generally start in the hair above the ear, follow the front edge of the ear and curve around the lobe and back into the hairline behind the ear. After elevating the skin, the next deeper layer of the face (SMAS) with muscle attachments is then tightened for a more natural look. The facial skin is gently repositioned and lifted, with the removal of excess skin as well.

Facelifts are frequently accompanied by complementary procedures such as eyelid lifts, brow lift, or laser surgery.

Recovery Time

Sutures are removed within 10 days. Bruising and swelling decrease enough within 10 to 14 days for you to resume your work or regular activities. Final results are evident in 4 to 6 weeks or sooner with continued improvement for several months.

Your Result

After facial plastic surgery in Frederick, patients can enjoy a more youthful, rested appearance with a natural, balanced, and enhanced beauty.

Facelift FAQ's

• What other types of facelifts are there?
  The SMAS facelift is the workhorse of Plastic Surgery and continues to be an excellent procedure. There are—and there should be—minor variations in the position and size of the incisions based on individual facial features and patterns of aging, not based on a formula.
  
  Other types of facelifts that are being performed:
  
  
  • Sub-periostial - this is a very deep facelift, which repositions the muscles in the face at the level of the skeleton. This has produced some fairly spectacular results. It is being done in very limited numbers because the period of swelling and recovery is substantially longer than for the standard SMAS facelift, and the return to work can be prolonged as well.
  • Extended SMAS lift - by going further towards the midline of the face and cutting several ligaments, an attempt is made to increase the durability of the facelift, but with questionable success.
  • Endoscopic facelift - although the scope is now the standard of care for dealing with the brow and the forehead, it has a far more limited application in the other portions of the face. The principle problem being that even though deep portions of the procedure can be done through the scope, there still is excess skin that needs to be managed. In some cases, the surgery time is significantly longer for similar results.
• Can a facelift be repeated?
  Facelifts are repeatable quite easily as long as the previous procedures were done correctly and in the correct plane. By that I mean there are several layers within the skin where the lift can be done. If these layers were correctly identified and respected during surgery, the facelift procedure can certainly be repeated.
  
  
• If I have more that one facelift, will I look unnatural?
  No. The facelifts, when correctly done, continue to maintain a very natural look and do not yield the stretched and taut look that is sometimes associated with the old facelifts or with a poorly done facelift.
  
  
• How long does a facelift last?
  That's a very interesting question - actually forever. The simplest way to demonstrate is by comparing identical twins. One sister has the facelift procedure while the other does not. At the conclusion of the procedure the first sister looks ten years younger than the other. So even though both sisters will continue to age from that point, they'll never again look exactly the same unless the second twin also has a facelift.
  
  So the answer to "How long does it last?" is FOREVER. Will you have it repeated? That becomes a social issue rather than an anatomical issue. In general, most of the people in the eastern part of the United States do not repeat their facelift. A single facelift is all that is accomplished in more than 75% of patients. On the west coast, the rate is somewhat higher, but then the acceptance of cosmetic surgery there is higher also.
  
  
• What are the signs of a bad facelift?
  
  • Most serious is a stretched and taut, unnatural facial appearance. There can be a variety of reasons for this. The most common is the choice of incorrect vectors, which are the angles from which the skin and the SMAS tissue are moved. The skin and soft tissue is positioned toward the ear instead of toward the brows and the temple, which is the direction that the tissue originally migrated from. This is correctable, but far better avoided.
  • Loss of the earlobe - an amateurish facelift will sometimes cause the earlobe to disappear and create a stretched and very unnatural looking ear.
  • Loss of sideburn
  • An open ear canal - sometimes the incision in front of the ear sacrifices the little bump in front of the ear so that you can look directly into the ears. This is a very unnatural look.

Have a question that isn't answered here? Request a consultation with Dr. Kress or call us toll-free at 888.671.2400.