Face Lift

Facial rejuvenation face lift surgery will address loose skin most effectively. Wrinkles or rhytids that form secondary to this skin excess will no doubt be taken up by excising this extra skin caused by gravity and aging, and tightening the remaining skin. Small creases around the mouth will need a form of skin resurfacing to fix effectively. This may be in the form of carbon dioxide laser, erbium laser, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peel, phenol peel, Blue Peel ™. Sometimes a smoking patient will have small peri-oral (mouth) wrinkles so pronounced and deep, that after rhytidectomy (facial rejuvenation face lift surgery), and resurfacing, botox will be needed to complete the treatment. Fortunately, either and endoscopic forehead or brow lift, or an open forehead or brow lift include the division and partial removal of the corrugators, depressor, and procerus muscles. Muscles that are responsible for the furrowing between the brows and just above them whilst frowning. Repositioning, or excising the forehead skin will address the forehead lines. So the short answer is that a face lift or rhytidectomy can take care of most, but not all wrinkles, folds. Any residual lines, crinkles, and creases will be handled effectively via skin resurfacing modalities.

When prescribed, antibiotics are extremely important to take as directed for proper blood levels and effect. Antibiotics may cause gastrointestinal symptoms, loose bowel movements, or yeast infections. Prompt notification is the key. Anti-emetic (nausea), analgesic (pain), a sleeping aid, and a stool softener should also be prescribed, and taken as directed. If you are sensitive to narcotic medication, start off slowly, with ½ or ¼ dose and work up (this class of pain medication may not only make you disoriented, lethargic and nauseated, but also constipated, and can cause you to have a difficult time urinating).

You should never mix Tylenol™ with certain combination narcotics that already contain acetaminophen, as this may cause damage to your liver. If you do not want to take the prescribed pain medication for any reason, simply substitute it with Tylenol™. Any of the prescribed medications may cause an allergic reaction. If you notice swelling, redness, raised wheals over any portion of your skin notify the office. If you have trouble talking, breathing, have tongue and mouth swelling; consider it a medical emergency and cal 911 without delay. Finally, do not drink alcohol while using the prescribed medicines for at least two weeks until after face lift surgery. This is because there are dangerous interactions between alcohol and pain, nausea, and insomnia medication. Alcohol may render the antibiotic useless, worsen fluid exacerbation, and result in a dehisced incision from bumps or falls sustained while inebriated.

The goal of aesthetic face lift surgery is to improve appearance. In some cases, as a trade-off this involves inconspicuously places incisions, in other cases a desired result may be obtained through a minimal incision. In any case, smoking undermines both efforts to produce an aesthetically pleasing outcome by impairing blood flow to healing tissues, in some instances causing significant compromise of the operated tissue and/or soft tissue loss, in all cases causing a substantial delay in healing. It makes no difference if the smoke is second hand, or the nicotine is delivered via a different vehicle. A nicotine patch, tobacco chew, or nicotine gum may not affect the pulmonary system, but vascular compromise is just the same. What this translates into is a possible loss of skin, fat and sometimes muscle at the edges of the incision, internal, and external, a poor quality of scar both inside and outside, possibly even keloid on the outside, and a tough fibrous scar/capsule on the inside, and an increase in the amount of time spent recovering. Specifically performing a face lift on a smoker may cause patches of skin loss in the front and back of the ear, hair loss if taken up to a forehead lift, noticeable wide, firm or discolored scarring in the front of the ear and hairline, and wound breakdown. Placement of breast implants in a smoker is associated with a significant increase in the rate of capsular contracture (increased firmness, and distortion of the implants), and delayed healing. Breast lifting or reduction may result in the loss of nipple requiring nipple reconstruction, and loss of portions of the breast skin and fat necessitating grafting or flap reconstruction, the same is true of the abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), in addition fat necrosis in both may lead to firm lumps that persist for months. Wound breakdown can lead to the nuisance of wound care with healing taking up to six months. Because face lift surgery is associated with wide flap dissection, in some instances skin and fat only type flaps, loss of facial skin is a real and devastating problem, substantially more common in smokers. In many cases the complications may require surgical intervention, adding even more downtime and aggravation. To diminish the effects of smoking and nicotine on face lift surgery and healing a minimum of six weeks of abstinence is necessary.