Ongoing advances in aesthetic medicine have made it easier than ever to fight the visible signs of aging and preserve a more youthful appearance. But even if Botox® and laser skin resurfacing are more popular than ever, facelift surgery is still the gold standard, if you’re looking for a way to achieve total, long-lasting facial rejuvenation.
In 2016, nearly 121,000 people in the United States opted to have a facelift. While each of those procedures was as unique as the person having it, there’s little doubt that they were all planned with the same outcome in mind — beautiful results that look natural, not plastic.
At Robert A. Guida, MD in New York City, we know just how much experience, skill, communication, and planning it takes to achieve a natural-looking facelift, and we believe that you should expect nothing less. If you’re contemplating facelift surgery, there’s a lot you can do to ensure your results turn heads for all the right reasons.
Facelift surgery is done to tighten saggy skin and reconstruct a more youthful contour along your face, jaw, and neck. Most people who opt to have the procedure hope it will subtly diminish the signs of aging and help them look more youthful, but what exactly does that mean?
Getting natural-looking facelift results requires you to take a good look in the mirror, so you can precisely define what it is you like about your face, as well as the specific aspects or areas you’d like to change or correct.
Whether you’re most bothered by sagging jowls, loose facial skin, or flattened cheeks, figuring out the specific facial features you’d like to change can help you clarify for yourself what you’re hoping to achieve through facelift surgery.
Pinpointing exactly what you’d like your facelift to accomplish can help you have a more productive dialogue with your plastic surgeon. An experienced, well-trained surgeon will let you know if your goals are possible and offer guidance to help put unrealistic expectations into perspective.
When you dream about what you’ll look like after facelift surgery, chances are you imagine a more youthful, rested version of yourself, not a face that appears overly tight or worked on.
To avoid winding up with one-size-fits-all results that broadcast “plastic surgery” loud and clear, it’s important to listen to the advice and recommendations of a trusted surgeon with a proven track record.
Like any cosmetic procedure, facelift surgery is prone to certain pitfalls, most of which involve having either unrealistic expectations or unworkable goals.
A plastic surgeon who wants to help you achieve the best possible facelift results can explain exactly why they recommend a specific treatment approach, and when you should avoid doing something that may not give you natural-looking results.
Whether you want to achieve a more youthful appearance by enhancing your cheeks with facial implants, or you want to create a thinner, more angular look with facial liposuction, a top-tier plastic surgeon will let you know which strategies will work best for your face, and which will probably leave you looking less natural or unbalanced.
Avoiding common cosmetic pitfalls means asking questions and listening to your surgeon’s opinion and advice. At the end of the day, the best facelift surgeons take a less-is-more approach to deliver excellent results.
Finding a skilled, qualified surgeon is one of the most important things you can do to help ensure you get a natural-looking facelift. You want a surgeon who is board-certified in plastic surgery and facial surgery — this means they’ve completed a higher level of training, passed rigorous exams, and make continuing education a priority.
You should also have full confidence that the surgeon you choose is reputable, consistently produces natural-looking results, and has a long list of satisfied patients. To evaluate facelift results for yourself, take a look at before-and-after photo galleries.
Here at Robert A. Guida, MD, we go one step further than before-and-after photos of other patients. We use enhanced computer imaging to show you what you can expect to look like after facelift surgery.
If you’re interested in learning more about the methods we use to achieve natural-looking facelift results, give us a call or schedule an appointment online today.
