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The Benefits of Combining a Facelift and Eyelid Surgery

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Common Cosmetic Problems around the Eyes and How to Treat ThemMost tasks are typically accomplished with greater success when there’s teamwork involved. Plastic surgery is no exception to this concept. Dr. John LeRoy has decades of experience with combining cosmetic procedures that complement each other and ultimately produce more comprehensive results. One of the most effective pairings of cosmetic procedures for patients who have experienced noticeable facial aging is a facelift and eyelid surgery.  

Who is a good candidate for a facelift/eyelid surgery combination?

People experience aging at different rates and locations on the face or body. The ideal candidate for combining a facelift and eyelid surgery is a patient who has multiple features that are simultaneously showing wear. This includes wrinkles, facial droopiness, excess skin around the eyes, and more. The most accurate way to determine if this is the right option for you is to schedule an in-person consultation with double board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. John LeRoy. During your visit to our office, Dr. John LeRoy will carefully assess the type and extent of your aging to determine if the combination of a facelift and eyelid surgery is the best course of action for you.   

What are the benefits of receiving both a facelift and eyelid surgery in one session?  

Essentially, you can increase the degree of cosmetic results and consolidate the recovery process if you combine a facelift with eyelid surgery. Dr. John LeRoy performs his Band Aid Mini Facelift and Traditional Facelift to tighten sagging skin, fade facial creases, and eliminate jowls around the jawline. When its combined with eyelid surgery, patients will also have their sagging skin above upper eyelids and fat pockets under their lower eyelids safely removed. With all of the incredible improvements achieved in one concentrated period of time, the results can take years off of a person’s appearance, while still looking natural. 

Giving patients more flexibility with Band Aid procedures

Who doesn’t appreciate more options? Years ago, Dr. John LeRoy developed his signature Band Aid Mini Facelift to offer a more subtle alternative to the traditional facelift. However, he didn’t stop there. He also created a Band Aid Eye Surgery that follows the same philosophy for patients who want slighter improvements on their facial features. Both the Band Aid Facelift and Band Aid Eye Surgery cut the cost and recovery time while still de-aging multiple areas of the face. They’re performed in-office with gentle numbing, so they fit easily into a busy schedule.

If you want to refresh your look, you might want to consider the combination of a facelift and eyelid surgery. If you have questions about any of the cosmetic procedures previously mentioned or you’d like schedule an appointment, contact our office at 404.843.0840. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more information about cosmetic procedures and updates on monthly cosmetic specials!

Questions to Ask Your Facelift Surgeon

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If you’re planning a facelift (or any cosmetic surgery), you’ve probably heard over and over how important it is to choose the right plastic surgeon. Of course, this is easier said than done. While I’ve spent the past 24 years on the other side of the desk as a plastic surgeon, I’ve learned some of the most important questions a patient should ask during their pre-surgical consultation. The following is a starting point to guide you toward a more helpful and successful consultation.

Questions to Ask Your Facelift Surgeon

Questions about the Surgeon

  • What is your board certification?

You should look for a plastic surgeon who is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery – the only plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery board recognized by the American Medical Association.

  • At which hospitals do you have admitting privileges?

When a hospital finds a plastic surgeon to be qualified, they will grant them admitting privileges, which means the surgeon can transfer you to the hospital for medical attention if needed. Not only is this an important safety measure, but it’s also a sign that the hospital has found the surgeon to be reputable.

  • What professional organizations are you a member of?

Organizations like the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons only grant membership to qualified, experienced, well-trained surgeons, so this is another ideal criterion to look for.

  • How much experience do you have with facelifts (or whatever procedure you’re planning or considering)?

A surgeon could have twenty years of experience in plastic surgery, but if they’ve only done ten facelifts or they haven’t done a facelift in many years, it’s cause for concern.

  • How much training have you had?

While there is a minimum amount of time each surgeon has to spend in training programs, some surgeons go above and beyond with additional residencies or fellowships.

Questions about the Procedure

  • What type of surgical approach will you take?

With facelifts, there’s a large amount of variation from patient to patient. Personally, I developed a minimally invasive procedure called the Band Aid Mini Facelift which is performed in-office using general anesthesia, offering natural-looking results with half as much recovery time as a traditional facelift. However, I vary my facelifts and Band Aid Mini Facelifts for every patient based on their needs. Your surgeon should choose their approach based on the amount of improvement you’re looking for, the specific areas you want to address, your unique aging pattern, and other factors.

  • Where will my surgery be performed?

Depending on how extensive your surgery is, it may be performed in a surgical facility’s operating room or in your surgeon’s office. Regardless, find out more about the facility, its accreditations and licenses if applicable, and how well-equipped it is for the surgery.

  • What type of anesthesia will I have?

This goes along with your surgical approach. Traditional facelifts are typically done with general anesthesia, while mini facelifts are often done using local anesthesia so you’re conscious (with or without relaxation medication) but comfortable throughout the procedure. Regarding your health and your surgical process, there are pros and cons to each, so be sure to discuss all your options.

  • What happens if an emergency arises?

Emergencies during plastic surgery are extremely rare, but you need to make sure you know that this could be handled if it did happen.

  • How can I expect my results to look and when will I see them?

Surgery isn’t an instant cure-all – it takes time and healing for your results to appear, so make sure you know exactly what will be improved and what you should expect to see at each stage along the way.

  • What can I expect to experience during my recovery, and what will I need to do to ensure my best results?

You should have a clear picture of what your facelift recovery will be like, what complications to look for, and how to care for yourself and your incisions after surgery.

  • What are the possible risks and complications of my facelift, and what will happen if they occur?

Every surgery has risks, although the risks of a serious complication are very low with a facelift that is performed by an experienced, trained, and qualified surgeon. Still, you need to be informed all the possibilities.

There are many steps you can take toward getting the best possible results from your plastic surgery, and knowing what to ask in your consultation is just one of them. The list of questions above is a great starting point, but feel free to add any other questions you may have. If you’re ready to schedule your consultation with me, call my Atlanta plastic surgery office. For more tips for plastic surgery patients and helpful facts about the procedures, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+.

Facelift Terms to Know Before Your Consultation

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If you’re considering a plastic surgery procedure, it’s only natural to want to learn more about it. But if you jump in head-first, you might feel like you’re drowning in a sea of complex medical terms you don’t understand. To make the process easier, I’ve built a small glossary of terms any facelift patient will want to know.

Anatomy

Facelift Terms to Know Before Your ConsultationTear trough is the deep crease some patients have that starts in the inside corner of the eye and curves around about an inch under their eye.

Nasolabial fold is the deep wrinkle many patients have that extends from the nose to the corners of the mouth.

Jowls are the areas of sagging skin that develop with age along the sides of the jawline.

Collagen is a protein your body produces, and it keeps skin firm, smooth, and youthful.

Elastin is a protein your body produces to keep the skin firm and “elastic,” much like collagen.

Epidermis is the top layer of the skin.

Dermis is the middle layer of skin, just below the epidermis. The dermis is where wrinkles form and where collagen and elastin exist to make the skin firm. This is also where facial fillers are placed to smooth wrinkles.

Subcutaneous is a term that means “below the skin.”

SMAS describes the underlying facial muscles and other tissue beneath the skin. In many face lifts, the SMAS (which stands for superficial musculo-aponeurotic system) is lifted to a more youthful position to create a more natural-looking result.

Procedures/Techniques

Rhytidectomy is the technical term for a facelift. This procedure typically focuses on the lower two-thirds of the face (below the eyes). Signs of aging above the eyes are treated with another procedure called a brow lift or forehead lift.

Mini facelift is a general term used to describe a less invasive version of a traditional face lift. Every surgeon performs mini facelifts differently, and some are not very effective, so be cautious about knowing what type of results you can expect.

Band Aid Mini Facelift is a specialized minimally invasive surgery I developed in 1997 and have performed for over 6,000 patients. The surgery is designed for patients who don’t need a full facelift but who want a natural-looking result with half as much recovery time. I perform the Band Aid Mini Facelift in my comfortable office setting with gentle numbing rather than general anesthesia, which lowers the cost significantly as well.

Mid Facelift is a facelift that focuses only on the middle third of the face primarily the cheeks and the area under the eyes.

Lower facelift is a surgery that focuses solely on the bottom third of the face, like the jawline, the “jowls,” and the area underneath the chin.

Cutaneous facelift is an old, now unfavored type of facelift that lifts only the skin, not the underlying muscle or other facial tissue. It is rarely performed today because the results are short-lived and because it often leaves patients with the dreaded “windswept” look.

Thread lift is a procedure that only uses a few tiny stitches under the skin to lift the underlying facial tissue. However, these lifts tend to produce minimal results that fade quickly.

Deep plane lift is a more extensive type of facelift that lifts not only the skin and the SMAS but the facial structure beneath as well.

Blepharoplasty is the medical term for cosmetic eyelid surgery, which is very commonly performed at the same time as a facelift. Like my Band Aid Facelift, I also have offer Band Aid Eyelid Surgery which can be performed using gentle numbing.

Aging

Ptosis is the medical term for sagging or drooping.

Hyperpigmentation is a darkening of the skin, usually in the form of small dots or patches that most patients call age spots. This is typically caused by sun damage over time.

Photoaging is aging that is caused or accelerated by sun exposure, like age spots, sallowness (yellowing skin), and some wrinkles.

Surgical Terms

Local anesthesia is an injected numbing medication that keeps the treatment area comfortable while the patient remains awake. This is one of the primary advantages to my Band Aid Mini Facelift.

General anesthesia is an intravenous anesthetic that keeps a patient comfortable during surgery by making them unconscious.

Excision simply means to remove; in a facelift, a certain amount of excess sagging skin will be excised.

Exparel® is a medicine I inject at the end of the surgery to reduce post-surgical discomfort for up to three days.

Hematoma is a pooling of blood beneath the skin.

Hyperpigmented/hypopigmented scar is a scar that is either darker than your natural skin (hyperpigmented) or lighter than your natural skin (hypopigmented).

Hypertropic scar is a scar that raises above the incision site, but it doesn’t get wider than the incision.

Keloids are large, raised scars that are sometimes itchy and uncomfortable and may pucker the skin. They’re larger versions of hypertropic scars and they can grow beyond the incision. The risk for keloid scarring is genetic.

If you’re researching an upcoming plastic surgery, go into it with accurate expectations. Don’t try to develop a medical school-level understanding of the procedure’s complexities. Your goal should be to learn enough to have a discussion about the results you want, what your priorities are, and the approach your surgeon recommends. If you have further questions or if you’re ready to discuss your potential procedure, schedule a facelift consultation with me, double board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. John LeRoy. For more helpful tips and information for cosmetic surgery patients, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ as well.

Facelift Questions You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask

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If you’re like many of my facelift patients in this age of technology, you’ve already taken advantage of the internet and done some research about the basics of face lifts. You probably know the goals of the surgery, the expected recovery time, the typical incisions and scars, etc. But every patient has questions they haven’t found online that they’re too embarrassed to ask. Rest assured that after 24 years as a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I’ve heard it all. Here are answers to some of the questions many of my patients are self-conscious about:

Facelift Questions You're Too Embarrassed to Ask

How much am I really putting my health at risk?

There’s no such thing as a risk-free surgery (or any risk-free medical procedure for that matter). But as long as your face lift is performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon (preferably one who specializes in facelifts) in a safe medical environment, the risk is extremely low. A recent study in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal found the rate of major complications to be just 1.8%. To keep the risk particularly low, most of my patients opt for my specialized Band Aid Mini Facelift – a minimally invasive procedure that uses gentle numbing rather than general anesthesia.

I’ve been experiencing some constipation after my facelift. Is this something to be concerned about? What can I do about it?

Constipation is a common side effect of pain medications, so it’s not something to be concerned about. I recommend drinking plenty of water and trying apple juice or prune juice. If this doesn’t help, take three tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia, with a second dose in four hours if you haven’t had relief before then.

Is there anything I can do to prevent that “wind tunnel” look, or is it just a risk I have to take?

If a facelift is performed correctly, you should never look “windblown.” You can prevent this by choosing the right plastic surgeon – one with extensive experience, board certification, and a specialty in the procedure. Be sure to look at plenty of facelift before and after photos for the surgeon to see if you like his/her aesthetic taste and to make sure they haven’t given any of their patients the “wind tunnel” look.

How soon after my facelift can I have sex?

After your surgery, you should gauge your readiness by how much you can and cannot do without discomfort. There is no specific timeline for when your body will be healed enough for intimacy. However, if you’re a woman using oral contraceptives, keep in mind that the antibiotics you will be taking after surgery will interfere and make your birth control ineffective. A typical five-day course of antibiotics will stay in your system for ten days, so be sure to use another form of birth control if you have sex during this time.

Hopefully the facelift Q&A above gives you some answers you’ve been looking for. But remember, when you reach the point of choosing a plastic surgeon, you need to find someone you can speak to openly. Honest communication is crucial for a healthy and successful surgery, so on top of searching for a board-certified plastic surgeon, feel free to consult with several surgeons to see which one makes you feel most comfortable. To find out if I may be a good fit, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. John LeRoy. Plus, for more cosmetic surgery tips, new blogs, and more, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

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