Facelift (rhytidectomy)

A face­lift, medi­cal­ly known as rhyti­dec­to­my, is a sur­gi­cal pro­ce­du­re that tigh­tens lax tis­sue in the face and neck. It is main­ly used to cor­rect mark­ed signs of age­ing in the lower third of the face.

Appli­ca­ti­on

Through incis­i­ons in front of and behind the ear, the deeper tis­sue lay­ers are lifted and resecu­red, and excess skin is remo­ved. Modern tech­ni­ques such as the SMAS lift or the deep pla­ne face­lift work on the mus­cle and con­nec­ti­ve tis­sue lay­er, so the result looks natu­ral rather than sim­ply pul­ling the skin tight. Typi­cal con­cerns are jowls, a blur­red jaw­li­ne and a loo­se neck.

Good to know

The pro­ce­du­re is usual­ly per­for­med under gene­ral anaes­the­sia or seda­ti­on. Social down­ti­me is gene­ral­ly two to three weeks. Risks include brui­sing, blee­ding, scar­ri­ng and, rare­ly, inju­ry to facial ner­ves. For mil­der con­cerns, non-sur­gi­cal alter­na­ti­ves may be con­side­red, alt­hough their effect is more limited.

Matching tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Face­lift Alternatives