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Facelift
What are the risks?

As with any major operation under general anaesthetic, there is a small risk of chest infection and thrombosis in the veins in your legs (DVT). While you may be given preventive treatment to reduce these risks, you can help to reduce your risk by stopping smoking. Coming off the contraceptive pill before your operation will also reduce your risk but you should not have cosmetic surgery if you are at any risk of being pregnant.

Bleeding
Bleeding occurs during every surgical procedure. Your surgeon will carefully coagulate the small blood vessels at the time of the procedure and will not complete the operation until the area is dry. Occasionally however, bleeding will occur after the operation and a clot of blood, known as a haematoma will form under the skin. This may necessitate a return to the operating theatre to evacuate the clot and stop the bleeding.

Let your surgeon know if you take aspirin, warfarin or any anti-inflammatory medications which thin your blood. You must also let your surgeon know if you have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or a smoker's cough, as these make formation of a blood clot more common.

Swelling and infection
Swelling and some bruising is inevitable after a facelift. In addition, fluid (seroma) may collect under the skin which needs to be drained by needle in the clinic. Infection is a potential risk with any operation and may necessitate a course of antibiotics.

Delayed healing
A facelift procedure involves undermining the skin of the face. Occasionally an area of skin may lose sufficient blood supply and break down. This uncommon event would lead to delayed healing and a requirement for dressings, particularly behind the ear. This complication is slightly more common in smokers.

Other
The face is rich in nerves and muscles. Some nerves are present to make the muscles to work and others give feeling to the face and ear. As the skin of the face is undermined and lifted, some reduced sensation in the skin is inevitable but almost always recovers. There is a small risk of bruising around a nerve or injury to a nerve resulting in altered sensation to a part of the face (for example the ear) or muscle weakness. The majority of such problems recover with time.

Your surgeon will be careful to lift your face in a symmetrical fashion. However, no person has an exactly symmetrical face and there is a small risk of further asymmetry after a facelift. With any cosmetic operation a small number of patients feel that the result does not meet their expectations. It is therefore important to know what the risks are and to accept the limitations of what can be achieved.

 

What are the issues?
What can the procedure achieve?
What does the procedure involve?
What is right for me?
What are the limitations?
What are the risks?
What can i expect afterwards?