One of the most frequent questions I hear from my patients (and from my friends) is “Am I ready for a facelift?” or “How do I know when I need a facelift?”
My answer is “You will know”. You don’t need to be a plastic surgeon to know. There is no magic age; no measurement of aging or wrinkles; and no formula. Aging is a gradual process. We age every day of our lives, and we gradually look and feel older. But there is nothing gradual about how we FEEL about how we look. Typically, one is OK with the changes until, almost overnight, one suddenly thinks she/he all of a sudden looks old. When it happens to you, you’ll know the moment. You’ll understand the feeling of “All of a sudden, I look older than I feel I am.”
When you look on the internet, you’ll see that there are as many “facelifts” as there are plastic surgeons. But all facelifts should lift the deep layer with the facial muscles and fat, and then re-drape the skin up and back. A successful facelift gives you a long lasting improvement, and you’ll continue to look years younger than you actually are, even though aging continues.
A good facelift should look so natural that no one knows you’ve had one. If someone says “Great facelift. Who did it?”, that’s not a compliment to me. I want others to realize that you look good, but they don’t know why, or what is different. The best facelifts shouldn’t look like a facelift. But after the surgery, when you see your “before” pictures, you should be amazed at the difference.
To get to that point, we have to communicate with each other. You need to let me know what bothers YOU, and what doesn’t. Then I need to let you know what your options are: what they will and won’t do; the recovery; the pain; the risks; the expense; and the relative improvement we can expect. Then, together, we go over those options until we have an individualized plan just for you. This is a slow process. There is no all purpose facelift, just like there is no “one size fits all”. But this back and forth dialogue between patient and surgeon is the only way I know to get you what you want, and need. (Remember the Rolling Stones who, 50 years ago, wrote: “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try some time, you might find, you get what you need.”)
When your time comes for a facelift, and you will know it when it comes, we need to talk. I’m happy to share with you my thoughts and opinions. Together, we’ll find a facial rejuvenation plan that’s right for you.