Procedure Lower Facelift
Location Austin, TX
Procedure Length 3 hours
Anesthesia IV Sedation (Deep)
Cost $$$
Down Time 2 days to self sufficiency, 2 or 3 weeks to public display
Longevity 10 years approximately depending on patient age and tissue elasticity
Risks Scarring, Facial Nerve Injury, Numbness, Delayed Healing
Benefits Tightening and Lifting of Neck, Jowls, Cheeks
Alternatives Leave as is, Mini-Facelift
Problems Treated Jowls, Loose Neck Skin, Platysmal Bands (vertical neck bands), and Hanging Cheeks
Procedure Performed By Louis W. Apostolakis, M.D., Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon
Commonly Combined Procedures Upper Blepharoplasty (Eyelids), Lower Blepharoplasty, Forehead Lift, Lip Augmentation, Laser Skin Resurfacing

Notes:
The lower facelift (also just called a facelift) includes removal of neck skin (often times several inches), tightening of the neck muscle (platysma), removal of neck fat (in selected patients), elevation of the deep tissue layer of the face, and removal of excess skin in the face. Incisions are hidden around the ear and in the hair behind the ear. There is little pain with the procedure and patients are self sufficient at home within a day or two. Depending on the individual and what other procedures may have been combined with it, bruises resolve in as little as 10 days or can take 3 weeks. Anesthesia is a heavy IV sedation that allows the patient to sleep through the surgery, but continue to breath under their own power without a tube in the throat.