Frequently Asked Questions:
Facelift Surgery
Is there pain after facelift surgery
No. Most of our patients (90-95%) take only a few pain pills for the first 2 days after surgery and just take Tylenol for relief of the tightness. The most likely discomfort that you may have is a very mild neck and back ache from sleeping with extra pillows at night.
The lack of pain and discomfort after facelift surgery many times surprises the majority of our facelift patients.?
Will my head get shaved prior to facelift surgery?
One of the major advantages of how we perform our facelift surgery is that we do not shave any of your hair.
What can I expect after Facelift Surgery?
Soon after your facelift surgery has been completed, you can expect some swelling and bruising. You will have very little pain or discomfort. The vast majority of our patients complain mostly of a tight sensation. This is entirely normal. As the tissues are healing during your facelift recovery you will notice that your swelling and tightness peak on the 3rd day, but this quickly subsides by the 5th day.
As we would like for you to sleep in an elevated position, you may notice some tightness in your neck. This to will subside.
When can I resume my normal daily activities after Facelift Surgery?
You will feel a little stiff in your neck for up to 2 weeks after your facelift. If a Minilift was performed and we did not address your neck, then your facelift recovery will be much quicker. At 2 weeks, you can resume your physical activities like running and lifting objects. You will find that your body will be slow to "get back on pace" after facelift surgery.
Will I have drains after facelift surgery?
We do not routinely use drains after any of our facelift surgeries simply because of the discomfort that they cause. We will use a compressive type of bandage dressing that helps to limit the amount of bruising and swelling after your surgery. This dressing is removed the morning after surgery.
When can I go out in public again?
For the most part, none of our facelift procedures, even the most complex ones, will put you out more than one week.
Even our patients that have the most surgery done, will go out at one week and with some cover makeup, and not have anyone notice that they had surgery.
Is there any way I can speed up my recovery?
Good dietary and exercise habits during your facelift recovery cannot be overemphasized. We have developed a supplement system called Reviva™. This system is geared exclusively to "boosting" your body's healing mechanism allowing your body to heal itself that much faster after any procedure. With these healing vitamins, healing herbs and healing supplements our patients are reporting a nearly 30% reduction in the amount of swelling, bruising, and overall recovery time.
How do I take care of my facelift surgery after the procedure?
Our board certified facelift specialists will provide you with a detailed set of instructions that if followed will help tremendously in ensuring a rapid recovery. In addition, our book written by our facial specialists, Drs. Phillip and Roberto Garcia has all of the postoperative instructions for all facial procedures.
When will I be able to see my before/after facelift results ?
The before/after facelift photographs are taken at 3 months after surgery. The before and after results are compared with each other at that time and the overwhelming majority of our patients are extremely happy with their facelift results.
Will I look different after my facelift surgery?
This is a difficult question to answer. You may want a very subtle change, or you may need a bigger change. This is something that we discuss with our patients at the time of facelift consultation.
Our aim is to make a difference that is noticeable, but most noticeable to you in a natural fashion.
We always ask our patients during their facelift recovery what other individuals are saying about them. The answer that we routinely get is that other people think they look refreshed, well rested, are coming from vacation. Something looks different, but other people just cannot put their finger on it.
The goal of everything we are doing is for you to see the difference.
Are there any medications to avoid before or after my facelift operation?
We will go over your medication history in detail on the day of consultation. Please make sure to tell us of any and all medications that you are taking even on an as needed basis.
We will provide you with an extensive list of medications, herbs, supplements, and potables that should be avoided up to 2 weeks in advance prior to your surgery.
Cosmetic Surgery in Jacksonville, Florida
Why does someone have cosmetic surgery in Jacksonville?
Jacksonville, Florida is Florida's first coast. This port city is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars as well as the Jacksonville Suns baseball team. Jacksonville boasts some of the finest people in the Southeast and facelift specialists Drs. Phillip and Roberto Garcia are proud to call Jacksonville home.
Cosmetic surgery of the face is a personal decision that comes from dissatisfaction with the reflection in the mirror. Each decision is personal. We see the entire gamut of individuals needing cosmetic surgery in Jacksonville as well as those needing cosmetic surgery in Ponte Vedra. Plastic surgeons in Jacksonville , Drs. Phillip and Roberto Garcia are facelift specialists. They are board certified facial plastic surgeons providing their patients with their expertise in facial plastic surgery.
Timing of Facelift Surgery
When is the Best Time to have a Facelift?
For the most part, facelift surgery is geared towards individuals that have shown those signs of aging discussed in the prior section, About Facelift Surgery.
On average, facelift candidates at the Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery Institute become good candidates for facelift surgery in the 5th and 6th decades of life.
Every person ages in a different manner than the next. We have seen individuals in their forties that look like they are in their seventies and vice versa. Each of our facelift patients is taken on an individual basis and no face is treated the same, because no face is the same.
By starting early in life with minor procedures like adequate skin care, you can prevent your face from aging prematurely. In individuals who have waited longer to start taking care of their skin or appear more aged, Jacksonville plastic surgeons, Phillip and Roberto Garcia, M.D. provide their patients not only with long lasting facelift procedures but with minimal recovery, less expensive procedures if indicated.
Can I have other procedures along with a Facelift?
We routinely perform multiple procedures at the same time as a Facelift. The benefits of addressing multiple areas of the face and body at the same time are to minimize recovery time, anesthesia time and cost.
Body procedures are performed by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon at the same time that we perform facial procedures in order to reduce surgical time and cost.
What will a Facelift Not Address?
Facelift surgery will not address the fine lines around the mouth and lips. It will not improve the excessive skin and bulges surrounding the eyes. Facelift surgery will also not address the inner part of the brow and the lines between the eyes. These can be addressed with a browlift. Please read the browlift section for more details on how you can address these particular issues.
Cost of Facelift/Cost of Minilift
How much does cosmetic facelift surgery cost?
Cosmetic surgery of the face varies an immense amount in terms of cost. Depending on what conditions one is trying to improve, the cost of a facelift can range from that of skin care products to a more involved procedure. The truth is that while not as expensive as once thought, making an investment in the way you look and more importantly the way you perceive yourself is well worth it...
On the issue of the price of facelift surgery, think about this. You may have invested several thousands of dollars into the automobile of your dreams. You care for it, you clean it, put good gasoline in the engine.
Now you are faced with making a much smaller financial commitment in yourself. This will be the look of your dreams. You've already cared for your face, kept it out of the sun, eaten well, exercised, etc.
What's the difference in the two?
The automobile will last maybe five years, while your facelift results will last you a lifetime.
Duration of Facelift Results
How Long Will My Facelift Last?
The truth is that your facelift will last forever. The tissues that we remove at the time of your facelift surgery will never come back. However, you will continue to age and you will eventually begin to look the way you are today, except that it's now 10 or 15 years down the road. You can look at pictures of yourself several years into the future and compare them with your befor facelift photos and see a remarkable similarity. You will always look younger than had you not had this done and undoubtedly, you will look younger than your stated age.
Facelift Surgery and Ethnicity
Can a facelift be performed on African-Americans, Asians or Hispanics?
Yes. African-Americans, Asians, and other ethnicities do have some unique considerations that we will discuss with you during the facelift consultation. While African-Americans and Asians have an increased chance of keloid scarring, this is something that is usually predictable and avoidable. With respect to the actual surgery, the face ages in the exact same manner across all races. The facelift surgery is thus performed in a similar manner.
Facelift Risks and Complications
What are the risks of facelift surgery?
While we have an exceedingly low number of facelift "complications" in our practice, these reported complications are worth mention. The most common complication is hematoma formation (collection of blood) followed by infection, inappropriate scarring, and problems with anesthesia. Lets address each one individually.
Hematoma formation, while the most common in the medical literature, is uncommon in our practice due to selective pressure dressings that prevent their formation. We are also very meticulous during the surgery in preventing their formation.
Infections too, are very uncommon in our practice. We place all of our patients on antibiotics starting the day of your facelift surgery and continuing for one week after your facelift surgery.
Scarring is diminished with meticulous surgical techniques and proper post-operative care for your incisions. It is important to note one important point. The art of how we perform our facelift operation is that we place the incisions in hidden areas where only the trained eye could see them.
About Scarring and Bruising After Facelift Surgery
How can I prevent scarring and bruising after facelift surgery?
First and foremost, good dietary habits cannot be over-looked in being an integral part of your proper healing during facelift recovery. To minimize scarring, it is important to realize what causes scars to become noticeable. First; the location of where the scar is placed is completely controlled by us. Once a scar is placed in a particular place, the manner in which you care for it dictates how it will look in the long run. Any activity that pulls, stretches, or puts the scar under tension will cause thickening of the scar. We follow you very closely the first several weeks after your facelift surgery to ensure proper healing.
Living in Florida, facelifts are very common. Because the weather is great year round, patients who have facelifts in South Florida, facelifts in Orlando, facelifts in Melbourne, and Georgia will have a tendency to get out in the sun sooner. This could impair the appearance of the scars if they are exposed to too much sun too early.
Alternatives to Facelift
Are there any alternatives to facelift surgery?
As stated earlier, facelift surgery will address the sags and bulges of the aging face. It does not address the fine lines and wrinkles of the face. Resurfacing (chemical peel, dermabrasion, and laser) procedures work to address the fine lines and wrinkles associated with repeated sun damage, facial movements, and aging. Ask us if you are a candidate for laser procedures or peels of the face. Many times, you will best benefit from a combination of facelift and resurfacing procedures.
Do Botox® Cosmetic, Juvederm®, Radiesse™ or Artefill™ substitute for a facelift?
Injectable products unfortunately do not fully substitute for actual surgery. Botox® Cosmetic (hyperlink to injectable page) can serve to weaken the muscles that cause the lines around the forehead, between the eyes, and around the eyes. The net effect of Botox® Cosmetic when given to the area between the eyes and the forehead is to raise the brows. The result is a chemical browlift.
Fillers on the other hand, serve to fill in the creases, folds, and furrows that are present even at rest. There are a slew of injectable filler products that can be used. Please refer to the section fillers.
Any of these injectable products can many times be used in conjunction with facelift surgery, but in cases where the aging process is too advanced, injectables alone will not suffice.
Jacksonville Botox® Cosmetic providers Drs. Phillip and Roberto Garcia will customize all of your injectable products including Juvederm® in Jacksonville and Artefill® in Jacksonville.
Revision Facelift Surgery
Do you perform revision facelift surgery?
Revision facelift surgery is usually reserved for either those patients that have had facelift surgery in the past and want to maintain a certain appearance or those patients that have had a facelift procedure performed by another plastic surgeon and is unhappy with the result. The advantage to revision surgery is that more times than not, the recoveries are shorter and the discomfort is much less.
At the time of your consultation, we will compare before and after facelift photographs for you to see.
We will also discuss all of the options for your revision facelift operation. Drs. Phillip and Roberto Garcia are board certified, Jacksonville plastic surgeons that specialize in revision facelift surgery.
The Natural Looking Facelift
What is the Natural Look Facelift?
The natural look facelift is just that. You will not look wind blown, stretched or pulled. We address only the issues of your face that cause the signs of aging. For that matter, we actually find the deeper tissues that have caused the aging to occur and address them. This leads to a more natural and refreshed look.
About Minilift, Weekend Facelifts and Thread Lift
What are the different options available in terms of facelifts and minilifts?
The literature is full of options for facial rejuvenative surgery that will turn the clock back with very little down time. The basic idea behind a minilift, S-lift, weekend facelift and many Jacksonville Florida non-surgical facelifts is that there is a minimal incision with minimal dissection that in effect gives you short term results, but with a quicker recovery.
Our definition of a minilift is when two(2) of the three(3) zones of the face are addressed at time of surgery. In a traditional facelift, we will address the brow, the cheek, and the neck. Certain patients have aged only in the cheeks and neck areas. If this is the case, then we are able to offer our patients a minilift.
The recovery is indeed quicker because of the lack of depth of this procedure. Unlike other short term procedures, our minilift procedures address the aged muscles, giving your face the most natural look possible but with long term (10 to 15 year) results.
Fat Grafting Procedures
What is Fat Grafting?
Fat grafting involves the actual transplant of your body's own live fat cells and transferring them to your face. These fat cells remain alive after the transplant and maintain their volume. With careful techniques, the fat can be placed in virtually any part of the face to give the face a more youthful full appearance.
We will many times offer fat grafting at the same time as facelift surgery to give a more youthful looking face.
Jacksonville fat grafting surgeons, Drs. Roberto and Phillip Garcia will discuss fat grafting as an adjunct procedure to your facelift or as an independent procedure.
Where do you take the fat from?
Jacksonville plastic surgeons Phillip and Roberto Garcia, M.D. take fat from virtually anywhere in the body. We prefer to take fat from the abdomen, hips, thighs, and the flank area. This is done through a small incision the size of a pen tip hidden in an inconspicuous area.
For More information about our Facelift Surgeons or to schedule a Jacksonville Facelift Surgery, Contact the Garcia Institute in Northeast Florida at (904) 247-8522.