Atlanta, Georgia – The Facelift Procedure
When considering either a traditional facelift or a “Band Aid” mini facelift, patients are usually concerned about the nature and extent of surgeries they will have to undergo. For that reason, we present a straightforward description of facelift surgery as performed by Dr. John LeRoy at our Atlanta, Georgia office. A facelift can help you look years younger and is an excellent way to improve your overall appearance and confidence. However, it is always important to understand the advantages and drawbacks of any surgery, and it is our hope that a thorough comprehension of the facelift procedure will help you decide whether it is right for you.
Facelift Surgery
Facelift surgery is a time-intensive procedure that can last for several hours, depending on how many areas of the face are being targeted. At our office in Atlanta, facelift surgery is made as comfortable as possible through the use of local anesthesia combined with a mild sedative.
Dr. John LeRoy will first make incisions running from the temples to the nape of the neck in natural contours on each side of the face. Doing so ensures that any scarring will be hidden, for the most part, underneath your hair. However, a fine line will appear just in front of the ear and around the earlobe.
Once the incisions have been made, Dr. LeRoy will separate the skin from the underlying fat and muscle. He will then trim away any excess fat and tighten the muscles to provide a firmer appearance. Finally, he will lay the skin back down, tightening and trimming away any excess skin and securing the incisions with stitches and, if necessary, metal sutures. Dr. LeRoy may also place a small, temporary drainage tube under the skin behind the ear to help drain any excess fluid.
"Band Aid" Mini Facelift Surgery
The "Band Aid" facelift process is simpler than that of the standard facelift and requires less recovery time. Depending on the area of the face you wish to target, incisions may be placed under the chin, directly above the ears, or behind the ears and running to the nape of the neck.
If you are looking to remove excess fat in the jaw and lower neck area, Dr. John LeRoy can perform a "Band Aid" facelift that specifically targets these features. During the procedure, Dr. LeRoy will use liposuction to remove fat through an incision under the chin, tighten the skin by means of an inward laser treatment, and tighten the muscles using sutures. This type of mini facelift is best for patients with good skin elasticity, as little skin tightening is performed during surgery.
If you are concerned about your sagging jaw line, chin, or lower cheeks, an anterior mini facelift may be a good option. Performed as an outpatient procedure at our Atlanta, Georgia office, this mini facelift involves the removal and/or repositioning of fatty deposits and the tightening of excess skin in the jaw, chin, and cheek areas. An incision will run in front of the ears and into the scalp.
Finally, the posterior "Band Aid" facelift targets the skin in the lower jowls and neck. The skin is lifted, laid back down, tightened, and trimmed along an incision that runs behind the ears and into the nape of the neck.
Brow Lift (upper facelift/ forehead lift/ endoscopic brow lift)
For many individuals, the first noticeable signs of aging occur around the forehead and eyes. Lax muscles and inelastic skin coupled with years of repeated facial expressions can produce permanent furrowed brows and wrinkles. Dr. LeRoy uses brow lift surgery to relax these wrinkle causing muscles and tighten the skin on top of them. Using only a few tiny incisions hidden within the hair line and natural contours along the ears, Dr. LeRoy skillfully returns the forehead muscles to their original position and minimizes excess skin. Dr. LeRoy may employ a less invasive version of the traditional brow lift, known as the Band Aid Brow Lift, on those patients with noticeable signs of aging who don’t need the full lift.
The enodocope used in endoscopic brow lift surgery, is a very thin, unobtrusive instrument used to guide the plastic surgeon in identifying the ill-positioned facial muscles. Just as with Dr. LeRoy’s Band Aid procedures, the endoscopic brow lift’s minimally invasive nature considerably shortens recovery time. Most endoscopic brow lift patients can expect to return to their normal routines within ten days of their cosmetic surgery procedure.
View before and after pictures of brow lift surgery.
Lower Facelift (Neck Lift)
Dr. LeRoy often suggests the originally developed “Band Aid Facelift” for patients who have very isolated facial aging concerns. Lower facelift (neck lift) surgery can be useful for those individuals with excess, lose skin along their jaw or neck. Done in-office and requiring only gentle numbing, Dr. LeRoy uses the Band Aid Facelift to specifically tighten underlying neck muscles and remove any hanging skin. If the patient’s situation warrants, Dr. LeRoy can also use Band Aid liposuction to remove excess fat deposits under the chin, which, in addition to loose skin, may contribute to the appearance of a double chin.
View before and after images of neck lift surgery.
Recovery
After surgery at our office in Atlanta, Georgia, facelift patients can expect to feel mild discomfort for several days. You will be dressed with bandages and, if necessary, drainage tubes to help reduce swelling. Both the bandages and the drainage tubes will be removed within one to two days of surgery, and the stitches and sutures will be removed within a week. Most patients are able to return to work within two weeks of facelift surgery.
Contact Facelift Surgeon Dr. John LeRoy
To learn more about the facelift procedure and to find out which type of facelift or "Band Aid" facelift may be right for you, contact our office in Atlanta, Georgia. Facelift surgery can take five to ten years off of your face and can help you obtain the refreshed, youthful look you’ve been seeking.
Contact Us
