Facelift Sydney

Facelift

A facelift, known clinically as a rhytidectomy or meloplasty, is surgery that repositions and tightens the deeper tissues of the face and removes excess skin. It is often combined with a neck lift and platysmaplasty, which addresses the vertical bands formed by the platysma muscle in the neck. The aim is to reduce visible signs of ageing while keeping your own facial structure recognisable.

A facelift addresses sagging in the cheeks and jawline, deep folds between the nose and the mouth, descent and loss of facial fat, and looseness along the jaw and upper neck. These changes follow from ageing, sun exposure, genetics and weight change. Surgery repositions and tightens tissue, it does not alter skin quality or remove fine lines across the whole face.

Dr Maryam Seyedabadi is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon, MBBS FRACS, with training in deep plane, high SMAS, short scar and MACS facelift techniques. Which technique suits you depends on your facial anatomy, how much laxity is present, your medical history and what you want changed. She will explain the differences, and what each approach can and cannot address, at your consultation in Paddington, Sydney.

Who it may suit

• You have loose or sagging skin in the cheeks, jawline or upper neck.
• Deep folds have formed between your nose and the corners of your mouth.
• Your jawline has lost definition and jowls have developed.
• You have visible platysmal bands in the neck alongside facial laxity.
• You are a non-smoker, or prepared to stop well before and after surgery, and in reasonable general health.
• You want change that is proportionate to your face rather than an altered appearance.

What the facelift procedure involves

Rhytidectomy is usually performed under general anaesthetic, and theatre time varies with the technique and whether a neck lift is included.

1. Incisions are placed around and behind the ear, and sometimes in the hairline or under the chin. Short scar and MACS techniques use shorter incisions than a full or deep plane lift.
2. The skin is lifted and the underlying SMAS layer is released, repositioned or tightened according to the technique chosen.
3. Where indicated, the platysma muscle is tightened through platysmaplasty and fat is redistributed or reduced.
4. Excess skin is trimmed without tension and the incisions are closed in layers. Drains and a supportive dressing may be used.

Recovery

Recovery differs between patients. Most people plan around two weeks away from work and social commitments, though this varies with the extent of surgery.

• Swelling and bruising are heaviest in the first week and usually settle over several weeks, with some oedema persisting for months.
• Discomfort, tightness and numbness around the incisions are common early and generally improve gradually.
• Sutures are typically removed within the first one to two weeks.
• Strenuous exercise is usually avoided for about four to six weeks.
• Scars continue to mature and fade over roughly twelve to eighteen months.

Risks and considerations

Facelift surgery carries real risks. These include bleeding and haematoma that may need a return to theatre, infection, delayed wound healing, skin loss with markedly higher risk in smokers, temporary or permanent injury to facial nerve branches affecting movement, altered or lost sensation, asymmetry, visible or widened scars, hair loss near incisions, change in earlobe position, and anaesthetic risks including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Results are not permanent. Ageing continues after surgery and further change over time should be expected. Revision surgery is sometimes required, and some concerns, including skin texture, pigmentation and fine lines, are not corrected by a facelift.

Your consultation with Dr Maryam

In Australia a referral is required before cosmetic surgery. It must come from a registered medical practitioner, and a referral from your GP is preferred so your general health is reviewed. A cooling-off period of at least seven days applies between your consultation and booking surgery, extending to three months for patients under 18, who must also be assessed by an appropriate registered health practitioner.

At your consultation Dr Maryam, AHPRA registration MED0001341746, examines your face, takes photographs for planning, and discusses the risks, the alternatives including non-surgical treatment and no treatment at all, and what is realistic for your anatomy before you decide. Fees are quoted after your consultation. She operates at St Luke’s Hospital in Potts Point, East Sydney Private Hospital, Sydney Day Hospital, The Skin Hospital in Darlinghurst and Double Bay Day Hospital. Call 1300 067 668 to arrange an appointment.