Facelift Procedure
Face Surgery in Virginia Beach
At our practice in Virginia Beach, Facelift surgery is one of the most frequently performed procedures. The best age to consider cosmetic surgery is when your aging face or neck bothers you enough to correct it — when you don’t look like you anymore. People who choose a facelift in Virginia Beach tend to do so to address sagging skin that makes them look older than they are (or feel) due to sagging cheeks, jowls and neck.
The average patient age for a facelift in Virginia Beach is typically between 40 and 70 years old, but sometimes younger or older individuals are good candidates for the surgery due to their unique circumstances.
What is a Facelift?
The basic idea behind a facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy, is to remove excess skin of the cheeks and neck that is loose and sagging. Sometimes the plastic surgeon will also tighten the underlying tissue and the platysma muscles of the neck. Contours and wrinkles are smoothed and improved, restoring balance and harmony to your appearance. This method of restoring definition to the lines and angles of your face means you simply look refreshed, rested, and healthy with a natural result instead of looking like you have been “lifted.”
Is a Facelift Right for Me?
Dr. Hugo allows at least one hour for his initial consultation with you. He will evaluate your skin type, facial shape, and individual needs to help you select the best procedures to restore your original, naturally youthful look.
The consultation is also for you to raise any questions you might have about a facelift, whether in general or in your specific case. Dr. Hugo works to educate each patient on the causes behind loose skin, the options they have for tightening and re-shaping their facial features, and what to expect from a procedure: what it can and can’t do.
Patients who choose a facelift typically do so to address sagging, laxity, and other visual issues caused by any number of factors, including:
- genetics, since heredity can lead to laxity problems that no amount of preventive care can halt
- long-term effects of gravity, which pulls on fat, skin, and other tissues alike
- exhaustion and stress, both of which can damage tissues and lead to premature signs of aging
- environmental factors, such as UV damage and pollution, both of which can rob skin of vital natural chemicals that keep it moisturized and healthy looking
The Cosmetic Surgery Center, located in Virginia Beach, is certified to the highest standards by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF). That means his facelift patients can be assured they are getting quality care that provides top aesthetic results while keeping their health and safety in mind.
Photo Gallery
Before & After
Ben Hugo Plastic Surgery‘s before-and-after pictures of real patients.
Dr. Hugo’s Experience
Dr. Hugo is known by his patients as the best Virginia Beach facelift surgeon and has been performing them for more than 30 years. He has built a strong reputation for his excellent aesthetic sense, attention to detail, and finesse. Dr. Hugo’s patients express a high level of satisfaction with their soft, balanced, natural-looking outcomes. They look younger, more beautiful and refreshed — never pulled or stretched.
Dr. Hugo says, “I take enormous care with each patient and will schedule only one facelift per day. When people don’t notice any telltale signs of surgery, I know I have done a great job.”
“The physical change is sometimes dramatic, but results are so natural looking that only the surgeon and the patient will know that aesthetic plastic surgery has been performed,” Dr. Hugo says.
Facelift Cost
As an experienced Virginia Beach Facelift surgeon, Dr. Hugo will meet with you in his Virginia Beach office to discuss all options and pricing. The price of a facelift surgery is impacted by a number of specific factors. Facelift cost determinants include techniques employed, time required to perform the procedure, and type of anesthesia utilized. Dr. Hugo offers financing options with CareCredit.
The Facelift Procedure
The exact extent and details of facelift surgery will vary according to individual needs. Typically, local anesthesia is used and patients are lightly asleep, breathing on their own and unaware of the entire procedure. Oral medications are usually used for sedation and analgesia. This reduces any after-effects of medications.
Incisions extend in the natural line in front of the ear and continue behind the earlobe into the hair. The hair is not shaved, and the hairline is kept intact. This gives him the necessary entry points for performing a successful facelift, while also keeping the incisions in a region of the face where any scarring will be camouflaged by natural lines and folds.
The incisions allow Dr. Hugo access to the fat and muscles beneath your skin. The deep tissues can be tightened and repositioned.
A small incision may be placed below the chin in order to tighten the neck muscles and remove fat.
At this point in a facelift, when the skin is re-draped over the new contours, there will likely be some excess. Dr. Hugo will remove this redundant skin and pull the rest tight, rather like creating a smooth, crisp look by tucking sheets into a freshly made bed.
The incisions will be closed with sutures, which will allow them to heal. Dr. Hugo makes every effort to close them in such a way as to create minimal scarring.
There may be variations to these steps is a facelift is being combined with one or more other surgical procedures at the same time. If a full facelift is not required then Dr. Hugo may suggest a Mini Facelift.
Recovery After the Facelift Procedure
During recovery there is usually minimal discomfort for the patient after facelift surgery and, if there is, it can be lessened with oral medication. A small, thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin behind the ear for two or three days to provide drainage and prevent a buildup of fluids. Pressure from bandages can also help to minimize subdermal fluid and blood pooling, which will help to mitigate bruising and swelling. Temporary numbness of the skin is quite normal. Dressings are removed two days after surgery and you will be able to take a shower.
You should plan to take it easy for the first week after facelift surgery while you are puffy and bruised. During this time, you should also keep your head elevated and free from pressure or contact, especially at your incision sites. This includes avoiding clothing that would need to be pulled on and off over your head, as even this could impact your sutures.
Dr. Hugo will let you know about a follow-up schedule so he can ensure that the incision sites are healing properly, that fluids are draining, and that you are staying infection-free. Antibiotics can help with this.
Sutures are removed after one week, and camouflage makeup can then be applied. Most patients are back at work within 10 days to two weeks following facelift surgery. By the third week, you will look and feel much better.
You will ease your way back into daily activities, avoiding strenuous exercise and sun exposure for several months. Scars from your facelift are hidden by your hair or in the natural creases of your face and ears. Usually, they fade gradually and become barely noticeable.
Additional Procedures
Note that a facelift will reduce the appearance of deep creases on the regions it targets, but it does not address skin quality, so it will not eliminate marks, discolorations, sun damage, or fine lines and wrinkles, especially those around the nose or upper-lip area.
Limited laser resurfacing can be performed at the same time as a facelift in order to enhance the result by giving your skin a more even, smooth, and fresh appearance. Of course, skin treatments will also be available in the months and years after a facelift, so you can continue to address surface issues as they arise.
How Long Will Facelift Results Last?
Facelift surgery will turn back the clock five to 15 years. Once a facelift is completed, it is permanent in the sense that it never “lets go” and never suddenly “falls again.” The effects of facelift surgery are lasting and, years later, you will continue to look better than if you had never had a facelift at all.
Understand, though, that having a facelift does not stop the ongoing effects of aging that will continue at the normal rate. Happily, new technologies, such as fractional CO2 laser skin resurfacing, can maintain the quality of the skin to a significant extent. The vast majority of facelift patients will never require the procedure again.
You can talk to Dr. Hugo about what to expect in the years after your facelift surgery in Virginia Beach, as well as the ways aging takes a toll on skin, fat, and other tissue before and after getting a procedure done.
Schedule Your Consultation
If you are in Virginia Beach and want a Facelift procedure performed by Dr. Ben Hugo, then schedule your consultation today. Dr. Hugo has performed hundreds of procedures with decades of experience. Contact the office to start a conversation that can change the way you see yourself. Or, you can call us directly at (757) 496-4801
