Facelift FAQs

The key feature that prompts most face lifts is the presence of a neck cord, that band of skin and muscle under the chin in the midline. If this is not present, almost every other facial concern can be addressed with minimally invasive methods, thereby avoiding surgery.

Although some surgeons elect to keep their patients heavily medicated after surgery, Dr. Steinsapir’s facelift patients generally stay only one night at the UCLA surgery center before being discharged home. A prescription of Vicodin® (or its equivalent) is provided, but many of Dr. Steinsapir’s facelift patients find that this medication is unnecessary. Many of Dr. Steinsapir’s patients actually have their facelift surgery performed while they are awake under local anesthesia in the office procedure suite, which would be impossible if the procedure was inherently uncomfortable.

Because the nerves are exposed during the dissection, the deep plane face lift carries with it a risk of facial nerve injury, even when performed by a skillful practitioner. This small risk might be justifiable if the deep plane face lift produced vastly superior or more long-lasting results, but the reality is that after six months it becomes impossible for experts to tell what technique was used for a particular face lift. Therefore, it is not logical to subject the patient to high-risk maneuvers under the facial flaps when equal results can be achieved with safer techniques.

No. A detailed, properly tailored face lift takes 3 to 4 hours to perform. To perform liposuction during the same surgery requires that both procedures be performed under general anesthesia, which substantially increases the risks and potential for complications. Dr. Steinsapir strongly advises against this type of combination surgery “blue plate special.” It is far safer to perform these procedures separately, to reduce the risk of toxicity from the combination of anesthesia.

Patients are sometimes coerced into having combination procedures with the argument that combined procedures are more cost-effective. There are many areas in life where it makes sense to select the least expensive option—surgery is not one of them. There are some logical combination surgeries you may be a candidate for, and which can be safely performed in conjunction with one another (i.e. lower face lift and lower eyelid surgery, or lower face lift and endoscopic forehead lift). These options can be discussed at the time of your consultation with Dr. Steinsapir.

Dr. Steinsapir spends a great deal of time and effort tailoring the closure of his facelifts. Some of the alterations and distortions in the appearance of the ear after a facelift are the results of sloppy or hurried technique. Dr. Steinsapir believes that it is well worth taking whatever time is needed to customize and perfect the facelift closure. Most noteworthy, it is this keen attention to detail that accounts for why Dr. Steinsapir’s facelift results are so beautiful and natural.

In general, Dr. Steinsapir will allow you to go for a walk two days after your facelift (with certain restrictions). Most facelift patients are able to go back to work in 7 to 10 days, and to resume their regular workout schedule within three weeks.

Good candidates for an ‘awake’ outpatient facelift should be in excellent health, and should be comfortable and relaxed when having dentistry services performed under local anesthesia. Oftentimes, outpatient facelift patients will have had prior BOTOX® and Restylane® treatments with Dr. Steinsapir, as this experience gives Dr. Steinsapir a very sound basis for determining who will do well with an office-based facelift performed under local anesthesia. Motivation to have a facelift under local anesthesia is a very important factor. Some people tell Dr. Steinsapir that they need more drugs and he respects this concern.

It is remarkable how beneficial liposuction of the lower face and neck can be. All facelifts involve some degree of liposuction or fat injury that effectively results in the same type of improvement. Lower face and neck liposuctions are truly minimally invasive procedures, and can be comfortably performed in the office under local anesthesia, allowing patients to return to work in just a few days. We encourage you to come into the office and have a personal consultation with Dr. Steinsapir to learn if lower face and neck liposuction is right for you.