Facelift / Face Surgery

During the cosmetic surgery procedure known as rhytidectomy, or face lift surgery, a cosmetic surgeon tightens loose, flaccid skin; provides tone to facial muscles; and reduces excess fat deposits that pull down facial features. A cosmetic surgery face lift lightens and balance a visage that has lost its elasticity.

This in-patient face lift surgery of two to five hours under general anesthesia involves cutting a hairline incision from temples to earlobes and tugging back the loose skin. The "contour thread" face lift procedure ("string face lift" or "thread face lift") is a less traumatic version as it pulls and shifts skin in a gentler manner.

To perform an endoscopic face lift procedure, a face lift surgeon inserts a miniature camera inside the one inch hairline incision that permits the cosmetic surgeon to carefully maneuver skin, fat and muscle tissue of the face. As the out-patient endoscopic face lift surgery is less intrusive than the conventional face lift, its total face life recovery time is a mere two weeks. Another form of face lift, the laser face lift similarly demands only a short recovery time since it reduces fine lines by non-invasive resurfacing methods.

Among the top five most popular surgical procedures done in the United States, the average face lift costs from $5,000 to $10,000.