A facelift is a surgical procedure to repair sagging, drooping, and wrinkled skin of the face and neck.

Rhytidectomy; Cosmetic surgery of the face

A facelift can be done alone or with nose reshaping, a forehead lift, or eyelid surgery.

While you are sleepy (sedated) and pain-free (local anesthesia), or deep asleep and pain-free (general anesthesia), the plastic surgeon will make surgical cuts above the hairline at the temples, behind the earlobe, to the lower scalp. Often, this is a continuous cut.

Many different techniques exist, and the outcomes are similar.

During a facelift, the surgeon may:

• Remove and "lift" some of the fat tissue underneath the skin (called the SMAS layer; this is the main lifting part of the facelift)
• Remove or move loose skin
• Tighten muscles
• Perform liposuction of the neck and jowls
• Use stitches (sutures) to close the cuts

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Review Date: 10/15/2009
Reviewed By: David A. Lickstein, MD, FACS, specializing in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)