WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FACELIFT, MIDFACE LIFT, AND NECK LIFT

With the genetic inheritance, environmental conditions and age, the face starts to show signs of growing old.

The surgeries to be performed on the face are divided into three: full facelift, midface lift and neck lift operations. The difference between these surgeries arises based on the regions they cover.

Full face lift implies numerous procedures such as removing wrinkles on the forehead, lifting the eyebrows, eyelid aesthetics, removing the under-eye bags, moving the sagging tissues of the entire face to their anatomically correct places. When it comes to mid-face lift surgery, it implies removal of the under-eye bags, and corrections on any sagging and loose skin in the area from the under-eye zone to the corners of the nose, by making small incisions from the scalp, and collecting the sagging tissues. In neck lift surgeries, the excess fat is removed by entering the scalp behind the ear and the sagging, loosening layer on the neck is removed. Then, the neck strap and liposuction methods are used together.

What is done in midface lift surgeries?

In midface lift operations, the sagging tissues from from under the eyes to the cheeks are moved upwards. Incisions are made from the scalp line and the surgery is made with help of endoscopy. Since the tissues inside can be seen better with the help of cameras, it becomes easier to perform operations in accordance with the anatomical structure. Mid-face lift operations are often preferred for the patients between the ages of 40-55. These surgeries, which are performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia, take approximately 2-3 hours. If the removal of the under-eye bags are performed too, the outcome of the surgery is much more successful.

How is full facelift surgery performed, which areas does it cover?

During the facelift surgery, the goal is to make the face look younger and more beautiful. The way to achieve this goal is to consider the face as a whole. For this reason, nose and eyelid aesthetics, forehead tightening and correction, eyebrow lifting operations can also be added for a better result. If there are very fine wrinkles, tissue injections, peeling types and botox applications can also be used as supportive treatments.

Are there any scars left after the facelift, are these scars permanent?

In full facelift operations, an incision is made starting from the scalp border near the temple area, continuing in front of the ears and ending behind the ear. Thanks to this large incision area, it is possible to work in a much larger area. The entire cheek area, jaw line and neck are tightened. In full facelift surgery, it is not only the sagging skin that is stretched. The connective tissue under the skin, mimic muscles, and all the tissues that are sagging are moved to the places where they should be in accordance with the actual appearance of the face. Full face lift operations are mostly suitable for patients in the 55-60 age group. The operation is performed under general anesthesia. Such surgeries may take 3-10 hours depending on the technique used and what is supposed to be done in a single operation. Generally, it is necessary to stay in the hospital on the day of the surgery. Since the scars will remain on the scalp area, the appearance of the scars will lighten over time. If the fat under the chin is removed during the surgery, 3-5 millimeter scars will remain in this area, but the appearance of the scars will lighten over time. It does not attract attention as it will be under the chin.

What should be taken care of after the surgery?

-It is normal to have a general swelling and bruising on the face, numbness and a sensation of tension after the surgery. A cold pad is applied to the cheeks, leaving the mouth, nose and eyes open. In this way, bruising and edema are reduced.

– Apart from these, in order to prevent blood accumulation due to the surgery performed inside the tissues, structures called drains, which are basically thin silicone pipes, are inserted and removed 2 days later.

– The bandages are removed 2-3 days later. Patients can wash their hair during this period. Since dissolving sutures are used in face lift surgeries, the comfort of the patients also increases. Dissolving stitches do not need to be removed, but in some patients non-dissolving stitches can be used, and these stitches can be removed within a week.

-Using a special face corset for at least 2 weeks after the operation ensures the protection of the tissues and therefore the whole face area is protected as wel.

– In this process, it is important to stay away from crowded environments and not to be hit oin the face even while putting on and taking off clothes.

-After the surgery, patients should stay away from taking blood thinners, vitamin supplements, in short, all oral medications and ingredients that doctors do not allow to be used as there is a risk of bleeding. In particular, the use of aspirin should be avoided.

– Since smoking causes problems in blood circulation, it is important not to smoke for a month, as this will cause skin loosening.

-The positive effects of this surgery, depending on the structure of the skin and the environmental conditions, are permanent for 5-10 years, and for some people even longer, thanks to the interventions made on the reshaped skin and the tissues under the skin.

What is done during the neck lift surgery?

Neck lift surgery is also done through incisions hidden behind the ear. If there is not much problem in the neck area, a smaller incision is made. However, if more than one surgical treatment will be performed on the neck, the incision may be slightly larger. If there is fat accumulation in the neck area of the patient, this excess fat tissue is usually removed with help of liposuction. Sometimes, there are traces in the form of vertical bands in the neck area or a layered, folded skin appearance on the neck. In order to eliminate both problems, a short incision made under the chin and the neck muscles are sutured to each other. If the skin in the neck area is too loose, the excess skin is cut and removed. The scars formed by the incisions are stitched in front of the ear, behind the ear and under the hairline.

Is it possible to make the neck look thinner?

In some young patients, a thick neck appearance occurs as a result of the accumulation of neck fat. If the skin structure is flexible we can use liposuction to remove the excess fat and maket he neck look thinner. This excess fat is used to fill the chin tip and chin edges. If there is a deepening of the smile lines on the cheeks, or the nasolabial lines, these can be filled with the removed fat. The neck strap method, which has been used frequently in recent years, is suitable for people who do not want a scar on the neck area. However, skin elasticity should be high, and this method is not suitable for loose skin structures. It is applied after liposuction to the neck area. With the help of incisions made under the ears, the neck is tightened by hanging it like a hammock by using special threads.