At our Southwest Michigan Hand and Plastic Surgery location in Portage, MI, we can help you reverse the aging process with an anti-aging cosmetic procedure; the facelift. This completely customizable procedure helps men and women restore a youthful appearance to the face and neck.
What Is a Facelift?
A facelift is a surgical procedure that focuses on correcting skin laxity, specifically in the middle and lower half of the face, while also tightening the skin on the neck. The natural aging process causes the cheek pads in the face to descend, which makes the cheeks appear flatter, and that, combined with loose skin, can create jowls around the jawline.
Just like the face exhibits signs of aging, so does the neck. The skin can begin to sag and droop as the structural layers weaken. This surgical procedure corrects all of these common signs of aging to help patients achieve a more youthful-looking appearance.
The Liquid Vs. Surgical Facelift
Some patients may benefit from a liquid facelift. This non-surgical treatment uses a combination of neuromodulators and dermal fillers to add volume to the face while lifting and sculpting certain areas and smoothing expression lines in various areas. We can customize this treatment to smooth crow’s feet, expression lines on the forehead, and frown lines between the eyebrows.
How It Works
We can also use a combination of the most popular and effective dermal fillers to treat wrinkles in different areas of the face resulting from volume loss. We can use fillers to smooth nasolabial folds and marionette lines and inject natural volume into the cheeks to lift the area.
The results are temporary but long-lasting, and the treatment provides a quick, minimally invasive solution to the aging process with little to no downtime. Patients who undergo this treatment must be willing to commit to follow-up treatments several months to a year after the initial treatment.
Who It's Right For
Patients who can achieve their ideal results using dermal fillers and neuromodulators make good candidates for the liquid facelift. However, patients with more severe signs of aging may not qualify for this treatment and will need something more advanced, like a surgical facelift, to achieve their ideal results and enjoy them long-term.
What Are the Benefits?
There are many benefits to undergoing a surgical procedure designed to lift and tighten the skin on the face. The facelift is completely customizable and can be custom tailored to address how aging has affected your appearance. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this procedure. Instead, Dr. Elluru will meet with you first to discuss your concerns, confirm your treatment eligibility, and then custom-tailor your surgical treatment plan according to your exact needs.
What Can It Treat?
The traditional facelift targets the signs of aging in the mid-facial area and on the neck. During this procedure, Dr. Elluru does not address the signs of aging as they affect the eyelids. However, we offer a separate procedure called blepharoplasty, which can remove excess skin and tissue from the eyelids. Many patients add eyelid surgery to this procedure to achieve optimal facial rejuvenation.
Patients who don’t need to address advanced signs of aging on the face but do need to address loose skin on the neck can undergo a separate procedure called a neck lift. However, most patients benefit from addressing the face and neck during a single procedure.
Where Is the Surgery Performed?
Dr. Elluru performs all of his cosmetic surgical procedures at one of two local accredited surgical facilities near the Southwest Michigan Plastic and Hand Surgery offices. He only utilizes board-certified anesthesiologists to work alongside him. Many of the staff in the operating rooms have been working alongside Dr. Elluru for over 15 years.
The benefit of utilizing local, same-day surgery facilities to perform cosmetic procedures is that patients will be in a friendly and caring environment and can enjoy a completely personalized experience. Plus, these facilities provide the safety of the hospital operating room without exposing patients to hospital-based bacteria.
What Happens During the Procedure?
An initial consultation is the first step of this process. It allows Dr. Elluru to meet with you to discuss your concerns, evaluate your treatment area in person, confirm your eligibility for the procedure, and then design your treatment plan. After confirming that you’re a good candidate, we will schedule your procedure. Before beginning the surgery, Dr. Elluru will use a surgical pen to mark the treatment areas on your face.
The anesthesiologist will administer anesthesia, and then Dr. Elluru will begin the procedure by making incisions in front of and behind the ears. He will lift the skin and tissues while tightening facial muscles to promote a youthful appearance. Then, he will re-drape the skin, remove any excess tissue, and place tiny sutures at the incision sites. Aside from a close examination, these sutures are so small that they are barely visible.
What Kind of Recovery Should I Expect?
Dr. Elluru is known for his ability to perform this surgical procedure in such a way that many patients are surprised at how easy their recovery process is post-op. We recommend that patients sleep in a semi-reclined position for the first few days after the procedure to minimize swelling.
We will schedule a follow-up appointment a few days after your procedure to examine your incisions and ensure that you are recovering well. We recommend that patients avoid vigorous exercise to accelerate the healing process.
What Kind of Results Should I Expect?
Dr. Elluru aims to perform this procedure to help patients achieve the most natural-looking results. You won’t look like your skin has been pulled tight but you will look rested and more youthful. Others will notice that you look different and more youthful, but they won’t know exactly why. The goal of this procedure is to surgically reverse the signs of aging while preserving the integrity of your appearance.
Learn More Today
If you’re interested in learning more about a facelift, we can give you more details about the procedure, what type of results you can expect, and confirm whether you are a good candidate. Then we can design a customized surgical treatment plan to help you look and feel your best.
