Pittman Plastic Surgery

Facelift

Facelift in Athens

A facelift is one of the most effective ways to combat the signs of aging, by firming and tightening the skin around the face and neck. At Pittman Plastic Surgery in Athens, GA, our highly esteemed and board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Ed Pittman, specializes in customized facelift procedures. Each surgery is meticulously tailored to rejuvenate your appearance while preserving the natural beauty of your unique features. With Dr. Pittman’s expertise, you can achieve a dramatically youthful and refreshed look that enhances your individuality. 

What is Facelift?

A facelift, or rhytidectomy, can rejuvenate your youthful glow and redefine facial contours. This surgical procedure lifts and tightens sagging skin on the face, neck, and lower face, including the chin, jawline, and areas with mild laxity on the neck and décolleté. It’s designed to enhance your appearance and reduce visible signs of aging in these regions.

How Does Facelift Work?

A deep plane facelift targets the deeper layers of facial tissue, specifically below the submuscular aponeurotic system (SMAS), which links the muscles of the face and neck to the skin. During the procedure, ligaments are released, and the SMAS is adjusted to tighten the jowls and neck. Excess skin and fat are removed, resulting in a more youthful and contoured appearance.

Benefits of a Facelift Treatment

A facelift can redefine your neck and jawline, giving you a more youthful and refreshed look. Our facial skin loses elasticity as we age, resulting in sagging and wrinkles. This procedure lifts the skin, smooths out deep creases, eliminates jowls, and reduces the appearance of a double chin. By reshaping your jawline and neck, a facelift offers long-lasting youthful skin and a naturally rejuvenated appearance.

Can I Combine Facelift Treatment with Other Procedures?

To enhance the results of your facelift, you might consider combining it with other cosmetic procedures. For instance, a brow lift or eyelid surgery can be performed alongside a facelift to rejuvenate the appearance of your forehead skin, eyebrows, and sagging upper eyelids—areas that a facelift alone cannot address.

Candidates for Facelift

Candidates for a facelift are usually healthy middle-aged men or women who are looking to restore their youthful appearance. Those who are suffering from sagging skin and wrinkles will opt for a facelift to improve these imperfections.

Facelift Procedure

A Facelift (also called a Rhytidectomy) restores youth to your face, neck, and jowls by removing any sagging skin and major wrinkles. To address excess fat in the neck or chin, we will use direct excision or liposuction. 

A facelift can smooth out your skin and redefine your neck and jaw contours, providing a more vibrant youthful appearance. Facelift surgery can be performed along with other facial procedures, such as a brow lift and eyelid surgery to give your face a balanced, refreshed look.

Facelift surgery takes three to four hours at our private, AAAHC-Accredited Surgical Center. Pittman offers you comfort and convenience, helping to avoid a hospital visit and associated costs. Facelift incisions are made in precise areas on the face.  The specific location of the incisions will be discussed between you and your surgeon based on meeting your goals. 

This allows Pittman to elevate the skin, tighten your neck and facial muscles, remove any excess skin, and finish by re-draping your skin.

 
 

Facelift Recovery & Results

Following surgery, you may be sent home with facial bandages which are removed the next day. Sutures are typically removed 7-10 days after your surgery and can take a full two to three weeks to fully heal and see your facelift surgery results. 

You can expect to go back to work in 10-14 days, but no strenuous activity for 2 weeks or more. You can expect bruising for 2 to 3 weeks and you must limit sun exposure for several months.

 

Before, during, and after

What To Expect Before a Facelift Treatment

Before your facelift surgery, you’ll have a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Pittman. Your medical history will be reviewed, and a physical examination will be conducted. Dr. Pittman will explain the advanced surgical techniques tailored to your needs. Open communication is a priority; we’ll discuss your desired outcomes and address any questions you might have. Additionally, you’ll receive pre-surgery guidelines, such as stopping smoking and avoiding certain medications like aspirin, herbal supplements, and anti-inflammatory drugs to minimize the risk of bleeding.

What To Expect During a Facelift Treatment

Facelift surgery at our private, AAAHC-Accredited Surgical Center typically takes three to four hours. Dr. Pittman will ensure your comfort by having general anesthesia administered by a board-certified anesthesiologist. The surgical process begins with an incision starting at the hairline near the temples, extending around the ear, and ending at the lower scalp. This incision allows for the redistribution of fat from the face, jowls, and neck, and the repositioning of deeper facial layers and muscles.

Next, the skin is carefully stretched over the newly contoured areas, removing excess skin. An additional incision may be made beneath the chin to improve the neck’s appearance. Finally, the incisions are closed using sutures or skin adhesives. 

What To Expect After a Facelift Treatment

Most patients can resume work and their usual activities about two weeks post-surgery. However, it might take up to three months for your face to regain its normal texture, sensitivity, and flexibility. As the swelling and bruising subside, the improved appearance from the facelift will become more noticeable, offering you a rejuvenated and youthful look.

Frequently Asked Questions

Facelifts are usually performed with general anesthesia.  

 

Most individuals take off around 2 weeks.  This is all dependent on your stage of the healing process.

 

Everyone is different but we begin with the expectation that you will not engage in strenuous exercise for 6 weeks.

 

The length of a facelift procedure depends on the type of surgery and its complexity. Generally, a facelift can take three to four hours to complete, depending on the intricacy and extent of the operation.

You won’t experience pain or discomfort during your facelift, as the procedure is performed under general anesthesia. However, after the surgery, it’s common to feel some tenderness, tightness, swelling, and bruising.

Over the next few days and weeks, you should notice a gradual reduction in swelling, bruising, and tenderness.

You will notice some immediate changes after your facelift, however, swelling and bruising can obscure the full effects. It typically takes around six months for the results to become visible. However, most people feel comfortable resuming their social activities about two to three weeks post-surgery.

Dr. Pittman specializes in facelift procedures aimed at providing you with youthful and symmetrical features through a safe surgical process. Patients may experience swelling or discomfort post-surgery. While the procedure is generally safe, there are rare risks associated with facelifts, including anesthesia complications, bleeding, deep vein thrombosis, nerve injury, and poor wound healing. Dr. Pittman will closely monitor your recovery to ensure optimal safety and minimize these risks, guiding you through every step of your journey toward enhanced beauty.

While the results of a facelift are not permanent, they are long-lasting and can significantly enhance your appearance for many years. Typically, you can expect the benefits to last at least a decade.

Pittman Plastic Surgery

FROM OUR PATIENTS

“I wanted to thank you for the good job you did and your talent. I have never been a person with an excess amount of self-confidence, 

but this has helped me a lot. I had heard Dr. Pittman was good, and now I can truly say that from personal experience.”

“I am confident again. I look in the mirror and I see me, only much younger looking. 

I had been unhappy with my appearance after a facelift done 5 years prior. Dr. Pittman restored my appearance and was so much more detailed in his surgery procedures than my last surgeon. I am happy again with my appearance.

 Sometimes I look in the mirror, and I am actually startled at the results – in a good way!”

“I sincerely want to thank all of you, all the girls (nurses), and Dr. Pittman! You all have been so professional yet you made me feel right at home. 

You especially for answering all my questions. I am so glad that Dr. Pittman did this lift for me. Having everything right there and knowing who I am gonna see each time is so important in the process! You all are the best. 

I will be telling everyone about you!! See you in a week.”

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