Face Lift

Here in the Kansas City metro area, we perform facelift surgery to reduce visible signs of aging in the face and neck. Facelift surgery will not change your basic appearance, but it will turn back the clock on your face, restoring a younger version of you that will continue to age naturally with time. Facelift surgery is especially appealing because it doesn’t require extensive incisions or an overly pulled look, leaving your face looking youthful and natural.

If you’re interested in rejuvenating your appearance with a facelift, request a consultation online, or give our office a call at (913) 451-3722.

Facelift Before & After

This 56-year-old woman looks totally rejuvenated after her combined facelift and eyelid surgery. See more real patient before-and-after photos in our photo gallery.
Keep in mind that each patient is unique and your results may vary.

Why Choose Facelift?

Facelift surgery is considered the “go-to” procedure for restoring younger-looking, more defined contours to the face. Men and women alike choose facelift surgery for some of the following reasons:

• To rejuvenate facial appearance to reflect the youth and vigor they feel physically and emotionally
• To correct sagging facial skin and muscles, remove excess fat, and restore firmness to create a more rested and vibrant appearance
• To improve tone in facial skin and lift contours
• To allow the natural process of aging to progress from a more youthful starting point

Your Facelift Consultation

You’ll begin your facelift process with a consultation with one of our plastic surgeons. During this consultation, you’ll be asked many questions to ensure you’re a good candidate for the procedure. Be prepared to discuss your health history and lifestyle, as well as the likely outcomes and potential risks associated with your surgery.

Your surgeon will fully educate you about surgical options such as limited incision techniques that are used to improve the mid-face region, as well as non-surgical options such as injectables and other anti-aging treatments that might be used to complement your surgery. We can also combine your facelift with other surgical treatments such as a brow lift or eyelid surgery for a comprehensive rejuvenation. Your doctor will discuss each of these options to plan a treatment that achieves all your goals.

The Facelift Procedure

We typically perform facelift surgery using local anesthesia at our office, but we sometimes perform surgery as an outpatient procedure using general anesthesia. Your facelift is performed in a licensed surgical center in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Although you may return home the same day, you’ll need a trusted friend or family member to drive you home and stay with you at least overnight.

Although each facelift surgery is unique, yours will likely begin with incisions made at your temples, just behind the hairline. These incisions extend around the ears to your lower scalp. After surgery, these incisions typically heal quite well and can be hidden beneath your hair, even if you wear it short.

Once your surgeon has made the incision, he or she uses special techniques to carefully access the underlying muscles, tissues, and other supportive structures of the face. Your surgeon repositions and tightens these tissues, restoring them to a more youthful position. He or she may also remove unwanted fat deposits. Once your surgeon evaluates your face for symmetry and ensures your result matches the outcome you had in mind, he or she closes your incisions with sutures.

Recovery & Results

Following all of your surgeon’s instructions is essential to a successful recovery. You’ll need to enlist a trusted loved one to drive you to and from your surgery, as well as stay with you throughout the first night. It’s important to have a friend or family member with you to lend a hand around your house and ensure you don’t strain yourself.

To minimize swelling and bruising, a bandage will be gently positioned around your face following the procedure. You may experience numbness, bruising, and discomfort, which are common after facelift. Any pain you experience can typically be controlled with medication. Your surgeon will instruct you to keep your head upright at all time for several days following surgery. This precaution minimizes unnecessary swelling and discomfort, and many patients find it comfortable to sleep in a recliner or with their heads propped up on a few pillows.

It’s also important to avoid vigorous activity until your surgeon tells you otherwise. Any sort of activity that raises your pulse also raises your blood pressure, which can lead to bleeding and bruising irregularities. It’s very important to give your body the rest it needs to heal safely.

A return to light, normal activity is usually possible within a few days of surgery, and most patients may return to work within 2 to 4 weeks. By this point in the healing process, your sutures and bandages will be gone, and any remaining bruising or discoloration can be easily concealed with makeup.

Facelift: Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a facelift cost?

Facelift surgery is highly personalized, and the cost of the procedure depends on a few different factors including how extensive your surgery is and whether you want to include other treatments. We are pleased to offer financing options to help you fit all your goals into your budget. During your consultation, a member of our staff will offer you a written estimate that reflects your specific procedure.

How do I know whether I’m a good candidate for a facelift?

As with other surgical procedures, we recommend that our patients be nonsmokers who are in generally good health in order to undergo a facelift. Facelifts are best suited for adult men and women who feel that their outward facial appearance no longer reflects the youth and vigor they feel. We also recommend that our patients have positive outlooks and specific, realistic goals in mind for improving their images.

What are the long-term effects of a facelift?

Your face will continue to heal for at least several weeks as swelling resolves and incision lines improve. During this time, it is very important that you practice diligent sun protection, even if you’ll be outside for only a few minutes.

Although the results of a facelift can last for many years, some patients opt to maintain their appearances with regular BOTOX® Cosmetic injections or other non-surgical “touch-up” treatments.

Will my facelift last forever?

Lifelong sun protection will help you maintain your rejuvenated appearance by minimizing premature aging and sun damage. A healthy lifestyle will also help extend the results of your more youthful appearance. Most patients find that the benefits of their initial facelift results are long-lasting, even as they continue to age.

To learn even more about what facelift surgery can do for you, request a consultation online or call Associated Plastic Surgeons at (913) 451-3722.