Facelift

Before lower facelift

After lower facelift

Awf Quaba has recently been listed as one of the best facelift surgeons in the UK by Tatler Magazine in their 2013 Cosmetic Surgery Guide.

A facelift, or rhytidectomy is an operation designed to address the effects of ageing by removing wrinkles. This involves the removal of excess skin from the neck and cheek areas whilst at the same time tightening the tissue underneath. There are various methods for doing this depending on the pattern of ageing. Facial ageing is a complex process that usually begins to manifest itself in our 40s. Some people age faster than others and this is mainly related to our genetic makeup as well as environmental factors such as smoking, sun exposure and life stresses.

As we age, our skin becomes thinner and less elastic and we start to see wrinkles which are there all of the time (static wrinkles). Additionally, the effects of gravity cause our soft tissues (ligaments, muscles and fat) to sag and this may manifest itself in the form of excess skin and folds such as jowls around the jaw line. It is these changes that facelift surgery is designed to counter.

There are a multitude of different facelift procedures and the terminology can be complex. The most common and effective facelift procedure is the lower face/ neck lift. This works on the jaw line and neck. It involves incisions in front of the ears that extend behind the ears and into the hairline. The skin of the lower face is lifted up and tightened along with the underlying muscles (SMAS lift). Once the skin has been tightened the excess skin is removed. The aim is to produce a natural, freshened look.

A lower/ face neck lift is commonly combined with other procedures depending on the needs of each individual patient. Common adjunctive procedures include liposuction to the neck, fat injection to the cheeks (to enhance the mid face), lower and upper eyelid surgery and a brow lift to address ageing to the upper third of the face. Laser resurfacing can also be carried out at the same time to treat fine wrinkles/ sun spots.