Facelift Q&A

Making the decision to get a facelift can feel huge, especially if you’ve been considering it for a while and have run through a mental checklist of questions and concerns. Online research tends to only take you so far, and when most FAQs tend to answer the same questions over and over again, you may start to feel discouraged about moving forward. Here, Dr. Joseph J. Castellano responds to some of the most common facelift questions from Tampa-St. Petersburg men and women that aren’t always found on the standard FAQ.If you have a question about facelifts that isn’t answered below, contact us online today to schedule a consultation. Dr. Castellano is a skilled cosmetic surgeon who specializes in facial rejuvenation, and adopts a personalized approach to cosmetic surgery that ensures you have a positive experience with us from consultation through recovery.

• I’ve been considering a facelift for a while now, but I’m still not sure that it’s the best step for me. How can I be positive that I’ll be happy with the results?

  For some men and women concerned with facial signs of aging, a facelift comes after a series of smaller nonsurgical facial rejuvenation treatments. For others, a facelift may be the first and only step taken to create a younger appearance. Every person is different, and everybody experiences signs of aging at a different pace.

  My recommendation is if you’ve done all the online research you feel is necessary and still aren’t sure whether a facelift feels right for you, to simply come in for a consultation. During your consultation, I’ll discuss the precise results you can expect from a facelift in terms that are specific to your concerns.

• I really don’t want that tight, stretched look. Is it ever possible for a facelift to look completely natural?

  Absolutely. Today more than ever before, modern techniques make facelifts great procedures for men and women who wish to improve their signs of aging but want their results to look natural. The “wind-tunnel” look you see sometimes in celebrities who have had poorly done surgery results from overly stretching the skin during a facelift. While all facelifts involve tightening the skin to a degree, the real focus of the procedure should be on repairing the underlying musculature and reallocating facial tissue for more youthful facial contours. With this comprehensive approach, results can appear naturally refreshed rather than “done.”

• I look older than my chronological age because I have lots of fine lines and sun damage. Can a facelift help?

  A facelift is really best for advanced signs of aging in the lower face, like sagging jowls or deep wrinkles, and won’t improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin. In order to address sun damage, you may wish to consider combining a facelift with laser resurfacing, which can stimulate collagen to encourage healing of the skin. The combination of procedures can help you take more years off your appearance, along with improving skin health.

• My problem isn’t wrinkles so much as feeling like I’ve lost that youthful look, and my reflection looks gaunt and older than my age. Can a facelift help with that?

  It’s very common for men and women to lose soft tissue volume in the face as they age, which can give features a hollow or sunken appearance. In these cases, I can redistribute facial tissue to create more youthful contours to some extent during a facelift, but for the right candidates, fat transfer may be an option. Fat transfer is a two-part procedure that can greatly enhance your appearance by filling out the mid-face over the cheekbones and soften the hollows under the eyes and at your temples.

• How long does a facelift actually last?

  How long a facelift lasts differs for every patient. This is partially because of genetics and the fact that we all experience aging in different ways, but it’s also largely influenced by lifestyle. At a bare minimum, your facelift should last several years.

  In order to make your facelift results last the longest, it’s important that you protect your skin from the sun, moisturize and invest in quality skin care, and stay away from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. A healthy diet and regular exercise can also contribute to longer-lasting facelift results. Patients who take great care of their skin can enjoy a more youthful look for a very long time to come.