Facelift Santa Barbara - Top Face Lift Surgeon
Dr. Tim Neavin is a skilled board-certified plastic surgeon and is considered a top facial surgeon with his extensive training in this sugery. He reflects your unique natural beauty by performing the most suited facelift technique to help you meet and exceed your facial appearance and beauty goals. Dr. Neavin can help you revitalize your face and regain your youthful visage once more. To schedule a consultation at our Santa Barbara practice, please call (310) 858-8811 or set up your visit via our inquiry form.
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What is a facelift?
A facelift is a plastic surgery procedure to address signs of aging in the face and neck, improve your facial contour, and regain the youthful appearance you once had. It is the gold standard in facial rejuvenation. It lifts and tightens deep tissues of the face that have declined aesthetically over time due to aging. By skillfully manipulating not only the skin, but the complex musculature and tissues beneath it, an expert surgeon can transform your features to enhance smooth wrinkles and lines, and help you tighten loose skin. As results from modern face lifting plastic surgery are both striking and natural-looking, it is a hugely popular cosmetic surgery that provides patients with long-lasting aesthetic results.
Benefits
Facelift surgery helps hundreds of thousands of people across the United States achieve their beauty goals. Some of the key benefits include:
- It tightens skin and accentuates features and the facial structure.
- It smooths texture and dramatically reduces the appearance of deeper wrinkles and lines
- It can carefully adjust musculature and surrounding tissues for the best results.
- It’s a more permanent, longer-lasting cosmetic solution than injectables
- Scars are subtle and well-hidden in the natural contours of the face, hairline, and neck.
- The surgery can markedly reduce progressive aging in the face.
- Combined with fat transfer, more natural facial architecture can be recreated.
The main goal is to restore the youth you once had in the face. It does so through the removal of excess skin and fat. It can address numerous signs of aging, including:
- Nasolabial folds
- Lax skin below the eyes
- Prominent jowling
- Changes in cheek fat distribution
- Dimpling
- Architecture
- Volume loss
Types of Facelifts
There are several surgical techniques that can be used to achieve the best result depending on the patient’s request. Combining any of the surgical techniques with a brow lift and eyelid surgery is common to achieve the desired facial volume. The technique used will depend on several factors, including personal preference and skin laxity. Fat grafting is also a very good option when combined with surgery for the ultimate result.
Mini
Mini-facelifts varies from surgeon to surgeon. Usually, it is indicated for patients who wish to tighten a specific area of the face; namely the jowls and upper neck. This surgery seeks to “fine tune” a targeted section of the face for less extensive, limited incisions, but natural-looking results. As less of the face is operated on, there are smaller incision points which can result in shorter, barely visible scars after healing from your surgery.
Neck Lift
Some patients may wish to combine a facelift surgery with a neck lift to improve the soft tissues of the face. This surgery requires the excision of excess skin and tissue in both the face and the neck area with incision points around the ears, down the back of the neck, and under the chin. A neck lift as a standalone surgery is suitable for patients with excessive skin laxity in the neck, or for patients with prominent platysmal banding (muscle bands in the neck), but who have very little visible sagging in the face.
SMAS
SMAS alters the underlying muscles and tissues of the face as well as the skin for a tightened effect. It may involve plication (folding) and imbrication (overlapping). After exposing the Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System layer, Dr. Neavin adjusts the layer, lifting and trimming the necessary areas where indicated. Depending on your treatment plan, Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System may involve fat transfer. Once the manipulation of tissues in the face is complete, and the necessary skin is removed, he redrapes the overlying skin and sutures it at a higher position.
Traditional
A traditional facelift can effectively address sagging skin, extra skin, deep creases, and jowls, providing a more refreshed and revitalized profile. While it is a more invasive surgery compared to non-surgical alternatives, It can deliver long-lasting results for individuals seeking a comprehensive rejuvenation solution.
Candidates
The surgery is done with general anesthesia, thus adults in their 40s, 50s, and 60s must be healthy. Patients that have deeper lines, double chins, marionette lines, and prominent wrinkles, severe skin laxity in the facial profile, they will achieve dramatic, lasting results. As a a comprehensive way to rejuvenate the face, face lifting is extremely popular for many reasons, including:
- Take blood-thinning medications/have a blood clotting disorder
- Are a heavy smoker who would struggle with cessation before and after surgery
- Have a serious heart or lung condition
- Have hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Have poorly controlled diabetes
- Have unrealistic expectations of surgery outcomes
Cost
The cost will depend on several individual factors including the surgical technique Dr. Neavin deems best for your needs, and whether you choose to combine it with another surgery.
Financing your Surgery
Plastic surgery financing may be available to qualified candidates. Our practice offers multiple financing options through CareCredit and Prosper Healthcare.
Recovery after Surgery
As with other invasive surgeries, recovery time for patients follow a similar protocol. For the first few days post-surgery, avoid strenuous activity and any sun exposure. Pain medication will be prescribed to help manage any discomfort for the first week or so.
You will experience some swelling for the first week and it will subside after 2-4 weeks.
You will begin to see the final results 3-6 months post-surgery. The incision lines will begin to fade and blend in with your natural skin
Schedule Consultation at our Santa Barbara Office
During your initial consultation, Dr. Neavin will discuss your aesthetic goals and will create a tailored surgical plan by gathering information and getting to know you on a personal level. Dr. Neavin will ask you about your medical history, if you have had any prior surgeries (cosmetic or otherwise), and what you’re looking to gain from a facelift. He will perform a thorough examination of your skin, noting the prominence of wrinkles and lines and the severity of the skin’s laxity.
FAQ
When performed by an experienced and skilled surgeon, a facelift can result in a very natural looking result. However, it’s important to have realistic expectations and understand that the outcome of a facelift will depend on a variety of factors, including the patient’s age, skin quality, and individual anatomy.
A full facelift, also known as a traditional facelift, addresses signs of aging in the lower face, jawline, and neck. A mini-facelift, on the other hand, is a less invasive procedure that focuses on the lower face and is best suited for patients with mild to moderate sagging in this area. A midface lift is a procedure that lifts the cheeks and the area around the lower eyelids, creating a more youthful appearance.
It’s normal to experience some swelling and bruising during the healing process after a facelift, which can take several weeks to subside. The initial results may be visible after a few weeks, but the outcome may take several months to fully develop as the tissues heal and settle into their new position.
A facelift can improve the appearance of wrinkles, but it may not eliminate them. The extent to which wrinkles are reduced will depend on a variety of factors, such as the depth and location of the wrinkles, the patient’s age, and the quality of their skin. In some cases, additional treatments such as fillers, Botox, or laser resurfacing may be recommended to further improve the appearance of wrinkles.
Although rare, Infection and bleeding are the two most common risk factors associated with facelift plastic surgery. In less than 10% of cases, there might be some fluid collection called hematoma. This is where a collection of fluid will happen underneath the skin flap. Usually, this can be drained with a needle. On rare occasions, the incision will need to be reopened and drained. Other rare risks are damage to the nerves near your smile or eyebrows.
