Facelift in Newport Beach

Facelift FAQs

Your procedure questions answered.

• What are Nonsurgical Alternatives to a Facelift?

  Not every patient is ready for this operation and for those patients, we offer our liquid facelift. There are many different alternatives that may be used depending on the age and presenting the appearance of the patient. We utilize all of these alternatives to obtain the best results for our patients. These techniques may be used alone or in combination with the other techniques. Some of these alternatives includes:

  • Skincare – typically incorporating tretinoin (Retin-A) and hydroquinone or kojic acid
  • Microdermabrasion
  • Neurotoxins-Botox, Xeomin, Dysport
  • Facial fillers
  • Chemical peels
  • Laser resurfacing

• What Does a Facelift Treat?

  It is important to understand both what the operation treats and what it does not treat. It treats the area from the corner of the eyebrow to the base of the neck. The procedure has many wonderful effects on the face. The outer corners of the eyebrow can be elevated, and the crow’s feet can be softened and released. The soft tissues of the cheeks are repositioned back up onto the cheekbones and the jowls are repositioned into the cheeks restoring the heart-shaped face of youth. The bands of the neck can be addressed, and the neck skin can be tightened.

• What Does a Facelift Not Treat?

  Sagging of the eyebrows along with creases of the forehead and in between the eyebrows are treated by a brow lift procedure (open or endoscopic). Bags of the upper and lower eyelids are treated with a blepharoplasty. Smoker’s lines require the addition of a chemical peel, laser resurfacing, or dermabrasion for improvement. Atrophy (thinning) of the lips requires the use of fillers or possibly even lip implants. The drooping of the nose will require a rhinoplasty.

• What About Lunch-Time Lifts, Lite Lifts, and Other Very Heavily Marketed Lifts?

  Recently, facelift procedures that are performed under only local anesthesia and take about an hour to perform have become popular and very heavily marketed. However, there are several issues with these procedures. The procedures are really only applicable to a small percentage of patients who may have some skin laxity but no laxity of the deep tissues. There is still downtime with bruising and swelling in the areas treated. The deep tissues are not treated with these minimal procedures, and there can be no longevity of the results from the procedure. The lack of longevity is a significant problem with the skin-only type of rhytidectomy. A recent Consumer Affairs report from a study they conducted on one of the heavily marketed lift procedures reveals that the procedure had only a 2% full satisfaction rating with 5 stars, while the dissatisfaction percentage was 76%, earning only one star.

• Is a Facelift painful?

  The majority of our patients experience only mild pain or discomfort that is easily managed with oral pain medications. Typically, most patients stop taking the medications about three days after the surgery.

• Aftercare Instructions

  1. After surgery, go home and relax. Take your medications as directed. You will be given a prescription for pain medication (generally Vicodin), 24 hours of antibiotics (generally Keflex), and anti-nausea medication (Zofran). You may expect minor bruising around your eyes that may last 1-2 weeks.
  2. The patient is not to turn neck from side to side but is to move shoulders and neck as one unit. Avoid yawning, smiling is okay. Avoid chewing gum.
  3. The patient is not to have a pillow behind the head but is to use a small pillow or towel rolled up and placed behind the neck. The chin angle should be greater than 90 degrees.
  4. The patient is not to eat in bed but may eat from a coffee table with one elbow on the knee.
  5. Diet: Liquid or soft diet with small bites for 10 days.
  6. Bathroom privileges with assistance. Remove area rugs. Keep floors clear.
  7. Ice-filled gloves or frozen bag of peas covered with a towel to eyelids and crow’s feet areas for 20 minutes every hour while awake.
  8. Send patient to 1st post-operative appointment with ice gloves or frozen bag of peas covered with a thin towel.
  9. Empty Jackson-Pratt plastic bulb drains at 12:00 midnight and at 8:00 AM. Note the amount of drainage and restart bulb suction.
  10. Shampoo hair after the drain is removed and continue shampooing as per the patient’s usual routine. You may use conditioner. It is not necessary to use the Betadine shampoo after surgery unless instructed to do so. Water may run over the incision sites, including the eyes. You may gently blow-dry the hair with low heat.
  11. If the patient had dermabrasion of the upper or lower lip apply bacitracin ointment on lips or treated area at least four times daily until the area is completely healed.
  12. Make sure that you do not become constipated from the pain medications. Take Colace (docusate sodium) twice daily- this is an over-the-counter medication.
  13. No driving for 10 days after the operation.
  14. Immediate postoperative follow-up appointments will generally be on days 1, 3, 5, 7 or 8, and 9 or 10 following the surgery.
  15. No hair tinting for three weeks after your surgery.
  16. Avoid strenuous activity or getting overheated. The patient may begin short walks on postoperative day 1 following the surgery. NO SMOKING or exposure to second-hand smoke.
  17. After a facelift, you must apply sunscreen for at least 6 months when outside.
  18. If excess bleeding, fever, excess swelling, difficulty breathing, or any other distressing problem develops, call the doctor immediately.
  19. A copy of these discharge instructions is to be given to the patient by the post-op care nurse.
  20. The Post-op nurse for the 1st night must call Dr. Sundine at 9 PM to update the progress of the patient.
  21. If you wear eyeglasses, remove one earpiece to prevent any compromise to the blood supply of the skin flaps.
  22. OTHER