Can I expect permanent results from a facelift?

A facelift is an excellent procedure to make a person look younger. But it is important for patients to understand that the results are not permanent. This is true of almost any cosmetic surgery procedure. The fact is that the human body is constantly aging and there isn’t a way to stop that from happening. A facelift can, at best, turn the clock back by 10 years, and in some cases, 15 to 20 years. But from there onwards, the clock will once again start ticking forward.

Facelift patients can understand the results in a simple way. If their actual age is 60, post-surgery, they can expect to look at least as good as they did at 50. Ten years later, when their real age is 70, they will still look as good as they did at 60. But the original look of age 50 that they had achieved immediately after the facelift will no longer be there.

Sometimes the patient may have the urge to go for further enhancements within a few years of the surgery. It is always possible to go back and have a touch up again. Therefore, if so desired, a patient can get three or four facelifts over a period of 15 to 20 years. There are many cases of patients who have had their first facelift thirty years ago, a second facelift twenty years ago, and a third facelift ten years ago.

Each time the patient undergoes a facelift, the clock is turned back by about 10 years. The results of a facelift are long lasting, but there is no such thing as permanent results. Therefore, the patient must have realistic expectations from the surgery. It is also the plastic surgeon’s responsibility to ensure that the patient is told all the facts in a clear manner prior to the surgery.

The patient should also know that a facelift is not an essential procedure, but a purely cosmetic one. However, the psychological benefits of a facelift can have a positive impact on a person’s lifestyle, activity and health. When a person looks and feels younger, there is a natural desire to become more physically active and energized. The confidence level improves and there may be a newfound zest for life. It can have a salubrious impact on a person’s health and well being.

For people who are in jobs or professions that involve dealing with the public or public performances, a facelift can enhance their public profile. But even otherwise, looking younger is not just for the sake of others, but much more so for the sake of one’s own self. That is what makes a procedure like a facelift such a valuable part of plastic surgery.

Back to facelift home page