Facelift (Rhytidectomy) in Northern Virginia

Facelift surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure at our accredited surgical facility under general anesthesia. For patients wanting to stay overnight, we also have an overnight facility in our building with one-on-one nursing care.

A facelift incision typically begins in the hairline at the temples and continues in front of and then around the ear and ends in the lower scalp. Fat may be sculpted or redistributed from the face, jowls, and neck, and the underlying tissue is repositioned. Skin is re-draped over the uplifted contours and any excess skin is removed.

A second incision under the chin may be necessary to further improve an aging neck. Sutures or skin adhesives close the incisions. A bandage is placed on the patient’s face to minimize swelling and bruising.

Facelift surgery typically takes around four hours to complete.

There are many different marketing terms associated with a facelift including MACS lift, mini-faceilft and S-lift to name a few. All share the same general concept of using an incision in front of the ear to reshape an aging face. To find out which sort of procedure will best address your concerns, call our plastic surgeons at Austin-Weston. 

After a facelift, a bulky gauze dressing will be placed over the surgical site to be worn the first night after surgery. It’s normal to experience some discomfort, but a facelift is generally not a painful operation. Oral medication is used to manage discomfort and most patients are off medication by 2-3 days after surgery.

Swelling and bruising is present for 1-2 weeks after surgery. After about two weeks, most patients can resume normal activities like going back to work and working out. After about three weeks, patients are able to notice the dramatic and natural results of the surgery. Photographs are taken at 3 months when nearly all swelling has resided. While facelifts offer long term outcomes, it does not stop the natural aging process and we tell patients a good facelift should last from 7-10 years before there will be enough aging to consider a small touchup procedure. We recommend continuing with routine beauty maintenance along the way, including Botox, fillers and occasional chemical peels or facial lasering as these things typically prolong the results of a face lift.