Special offers for facial rejuvenation are the perfect way to reduce wrinkles and sagging skin, keep your facelift results looking their best, or enhance the results of a recent face lift. Contact the office of double board certified Atlanta plastic surgeon, Dr. John LeRoy today!
Special offers for facial rejuvenation are the perfect way to reduce wrinkles and sagging skin, keep your facelift results looking their best, or enhance the results of a recent face lift. Contact the office of double board certified Atlanta plastic surgeon, Dr. John LeRoy today!
Having a few butterflies in your stomach before plastic surgery is incredibly common, and in many cases, patients are simply nervous because they don’t know exactly what to expect. While there’s no replacement for actually experiencing the process for yourself, as a double board-certified plastic surgeon who has specialized in face lifts for over twenty years, I can walk you through the day of your surgery so you have a better idea of what to expect.
Before Surgery
By the day of your procedure, you will have received plenty of specific instructions about what to avoid and how to prepare before face lift surgery. For example, when to stop smoking if you smoke, when to stop taking certain medications and supplements, when to stop eating the day of or night before surgery, etc. When you wake up on surgery day, be sure to continue following these instructions closely. You’ll put on comfortable clothing that doesn’t need to be taken off over your head, like a button-up shirt. Without applying any makeup or skin care products for the day (which is a welcome break, for some patients), you’ll also wash your face with antibacterial soap and take any pre-surgical medications you were instructed to take, like antibiotics. All of this information will be included in the pre-surgical instructions you will receive when you schedule your surgery.
When it’s Time for Surgery
When your appointment time is near, you’ll head to either my office (if you’re having a Band Aid Mini Facelift or a Band Aid Micro Mini Facelift) or to Perimeter Surgical Center, the facility where I perform traditional face lifts. Before the actual surgery begins, you’ll have some paperwork to fill out, and my nurse Dorothy will check your blood pressure and provide other preparations, including your “before” picture.
If you’re having a traditional facelift with general anesthesia (so that you will be unconscious throughout the surgery), your anesthesia will be administered before surgery by an anesthesiologist (or by a nurse anesthetist overseen by an anesthesiologist). If you’re having an in-office Band Aid Facelift, on the other hand, your surgical preparation will depend on whether you will receive only local anesthesia (gentle numbing for the treatment area) or local anesthesia with sedation as well. You and I will discuss and decide all of these details in advance at your pre-surgical consultation, so you’ll know exactly what to expect ahead of time.
Your surgical time will depend on the extent of your procedure, your unique anatomy, and a number of other factors. In general, though, a Band Aid Mini Facelift takes about an hour and a half, while a traditional face lift can take anywhere from two to four hours. Halfway through the procedure, Dorothy typically comes out to the waiting area to give an update to any friends or family members who are waiting for you. When your surgery is finished, you’ll have a dressing applied to the area to provide gentle pressure and protect your incisions. You may or may not also have a drain to release any excess fluids.
All in all, Band Aid Facelift patients typically spend a total of 2 ½ hours in our office. Face lift patients vary considerably more based on their procedure, and the process as a whole takes longer as well because these patients need more time in the recovery room to recuperate from the anesthesia before they head home. Both traditional face lifts and Band Aid Mini Face Lifts are performed on an outpatient basis, so you can look forward to spending that first night resting comfortably at home.
After Surgery
If you receive a traditional facelift or if you receive sedation for your Band Aid Mini Face Lift, you will need to have a friend or family member drive you home and stay with you for at least the first night. If you receive only a local anesthetic with no sedation, you can safely drive, although some patients still choose to have a friend or family member drive them home so they can be fully comfortable.
While there is always some discomfort associated with surgery, the pain after a facelift is generally quite bearable and can be managed with medication. Just remember to carefully follow all of the post-surgical instructions you were given ahead of time, because some over-the-counter pain relievers are not safe to take after surgery. For the most part, you should spend the rest of your surgery day relaxing comfortably, reclined at a 30- or 45-degree angle (not lying flat), and taking frequent, gentle walks to keep your circulation active.
Because I tailor the surgical process to each patient’s needs, everyone experiences their face lift in a slightly different way. But overall, my best advice for nervous patients is to find a way to relax, trust yourself that you’re well-prepared, and trust your surgeon to operate safely and successfully. For the vast majority of patients, a facelift is a rather uneventful process, ending with beautiful results that leave them feeling happier and more confident in their appearance. To get started on your facelift journey, schedule a consultation today with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. Or, for more plastic surgery tips and information, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
A facelift, like any surgery, is an important event. Even a minimally invasive surgery like my Band Aid Facelift or Band Aid Micro Mini Facelift requires careful preparation in order to achieve the safest and most successful results possible. The planning actually begins from your first web search to find a board-certified plastic surgeon or to learn about the procedure you’re considering. But I’ve gone into detail about these steps in earlier blogs, so today, I’m going to focus on the time between your pre-surgical consultation and your actual surgery. In addition to the specific pre-surgical instructions you will receive at your consultation, I have put together a checklist to guide you through the weeks before your facelift.
To-Do List
Shopping List
A surgery may only take an hour to two to perform, but the full process actually spans from your first step of learning about your options through the full recovery period, and each stage will factor into how successful of an outcome you attain. To get started on your personal journey, schedule an initial consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. Or, for more helpful plastic surgery tips, videos, medical news, and more, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
For many plastic surgery patients, one of the first questions or concerns they bring up in their cosmetic surgery consultation is about the recovery time. How long will I be off work? When will I feel well enough to socialize? How difficult will it be? The short answer is that your recovery will be proportionate to your surgery. In other words, when it comes to face lifts, every facial rejuvenation patient is at a different level of aging and needs a different degree of skin and tissue adjustment to receive the results they want, and the more extensive your procedure is, the longer it will take your body to heal.
Your plastic surgery recovery will depend not only on the surgery itself, but also on other factors, like your body’s natural healing process, how well you follow your post-surgical instructions, how healthy you were before the procedure, and more. Because of this, it’s impossible to tell a patient the exact number of days they will need to heal before they return to work or other day-to-day activities. But if you want some general guidelines, my video below discusses the recovery time for a traditional facelift compared with the Band Aid Mini Facelift I developed, and explains the reasons for this sizeable difference.
Remember, plastic surgery is a true medical procedure which should be tailored to your specific aesthetic goals, signs of aging, medical needs, and other priorities. The goals may be cosmetic, but the risks involve your health, so be sure to only trust your procedure to an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon. If you’re ready to start discussing your options, schedule a consultation with me today. Or, for more cosmetic surgery tips, special offers, and health news, follow me, Dr. John L. LeRoy on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.