A Simple Guide To Understanding Exactly What's Involved In A Face Lift

One of the most common claims about celebrities as they age is that they've had a face-lift to try and maintain their youthful good looks. The reality is that as we get older, it shows on our face. Over the years our face gets weathered, and is exposed to gravity, the sun, pollution, stress and a whole lot more. That's why plastic surgeons are performing so many face-lifts. It's important to understand exactly what's involved in a face lift, if you're thinking of getting one, so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not a face lift is right for you.

Basically, the surgeon's job is to make you look younger. They use a number of different techniques to achieve this, including trimming away any excess fat that's accumulated around the face, and also tightening the facial muscles. Once this is done, the skin is draped back into place. Often, more than one procedure is conducted at the same time, with rhinoplasty (nose job) and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) being the most popular.

Generally, face lifts work best on someone who is already in reasonably good shape. This is because their facial skin is likely to have more elasticity, which helps to get good results from the procedure. Most face lift patients are between the ages of forty and sixty, but in reality a face lift can be performed regardless of age, and in fact people in their eighties have undergone this type of surgery.

A face-lift is a type of surgery, and like all surgery, there are potential risks. It's possible that hematoma may occur. This is when the blood pools underneath the surface of the skin. It may be necessary to have further surgery to relieve the problem. It's also possible for the facial muscles to become damaged during the surgery. The recovery process can be slow if the surgery doesn't heal well, and it's also possible for infection to occur.

If you're still thinking about having a face-lift, the first step is always to meet with the plastic surgeon and have a full discussion about the pros and cons of the surgery. You should tell the surgeon what you're hoping to achieve from the procedure, so that he or she can help you gain a realistic idea of the likely outcomes. The surgeon will also look at your face shape and evaluate whether or not you?re a good candidate for this type of surgery.

You need to understand, too, that there will be some permanent scarring as a result of your face-lift. The surgeon needs to make incisions in order to manipulate your facial muscles and remove excess fat, and these incisions will be across the length of the face. Most are near the hairline, which means they can be hidden by careful styling of your hair. It will take time, but eventually most of the scares will be hardly noticeable, and natural creases in the face may well hide them. Your face will also be swollen and bruise for a time after surgery, so the results won't be immediately obvious.

Despite the risks and the discomfort of the healing process, most people who undergo a face lift feel that it helps to turn back the clock for a number of years, and many people have another face lift years later in order to duplicate the effect and remain youthful.

For more information on cosmetic surgery to include breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, tummy tucks and liposuction try visiting http://www.cosmetic-surgery-info-guide.com, a website that specializes in providing cosmetic surgery advice, tips and resources.

My Thermage Face Lift Journal

Saturday, September 9

I Had a Face Lift Today

If I had a face lift today, you may wonder how I am able to sit at the computer and type up this journal. I look pretty much as I did when I got up this morning and I feel fine. After the procedure, my husband and I went to a restaurant for a nice lunch.

Are you wondering why I look pretty much as I did this morning and why I?m not wrapped up like a mummy and in excruciating pain? It?s because I had a non-invasive face lift procedure called Thermage.

I think I look better already and my skin feels tighter, but it?s not enough that others should notice and it might just be a temporary irritation effect of the procedure. You?re still wondering why I did this, right?

Well, my plastic surgeon (and the Thermage website) explained that the treatment causes collagen to grow to re-plump and lift the face.

Given my age (60) and the condition of my skin (very good for my age), I can expect the improvement to continue for the next 18 months. He said the improvement will last for another six years after that.

Everyone is different. He said the results depend on how much collagen you still have; because the treatment works on that which you have ? thickening and lengthening it. I?ve seen the before and after pictures on the Thermage website and in a brochure the doctor gave me.

I?m really excited about the prospect of looking younger and younger each day for the next year and a half (instead of the reverse!). I?m also pleased that the treatment should last almost as long as a surgical face lift and that it was so affordable.

Next time, I?ll tell you about the procedure itself and I promise to pull no punches.

Monday, September 11, 2006
Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? Blow by Blow Account

Some doctors will want to see you for an evaluation before scheduling the Thermage procedure. I asked mine if everything could be done in one visit because his office is quite far from my home. He was very accommodating.

I arrived at 11:00 and was taken right into the doctor?s office. He looked closely at my face and the condition of my skin. Then he explained the procedure in detail and said he would do 600 pulses which would include treatment of the forehead, crow?s feet area, mid-face, around the mouth, along the jaw line and the upper neck (in front). He gave me an anti-inflammatory pill to place under my tongue.

I was asked to remove my makeup thoroughly and lie on a reclining chair (as in a dentist?s office). A large rubber pad coated with gel was placed on my waist area and a cord was plugged into it. I assumed this was to conduct electricity through my body. Uh-oh, I thought this was going to be radio waves. Nobody said anything about electricity!

Then came the ?tattooing?. Don?t worry, it?s not permanent. The doctor placed a transparent flexible sheet with a grid-like pattern against my forehead and carefully rubbed over it with alcohol, transferring the grid pattern to my skin. Then he did the same to the rest of my face and to my neck. I must have looked a sight! Good thing I couldn?t see myself.

Come back next time for the rest of my story: Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? Ouch and Wow!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? Ouch and Wow!

So there I was, stretched out on the ?dentist?s chair?, staring at the bright overhead lights with a rubber pad stuck to my belly and lines ?tattooed? all over my face and neck. The doctor showed me the radio-frequency wand which would be used for my Thermage.

Each patient gets their own individual tip. I?m not sure why. Since the procedure is non-invasive, I doubt that it is for sanitary reasons. Perhaps the electronic chip which delivers the charges wears out?

Thermage works by heating collagen fibers beneath the skin?s surface. With age, collagen fibers thin, shorten and rigidify. As the face loses collagen mass, the epidermis wrinkles, collapses in and eventually begins to sag.

For some reason, heating the existing collagen fibers with radio waves causes them to relax and lengthen. Just as importantly, the heat stimulates the existing collagen to grow and thicken again. This is why the results of Thermage are not immediately evident, but rather develop over time.

The doctor warned me that I would feel a sensation of heat and at times a bit of ?discomfort?. If I could not tolerate the ?discomfort?, he could lower the frequency. To protect the epidermis from burning, a little jet of Freon (I think) is sprayed at the same time the radio waves are transmitted.

Darn, I?m out of time again and I didn?t get to the ?Ouch and Wow!? part. Next time ? I promise.

Friday, September 15, 2006
Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? Ouch and Wow 2!

The doctor began zapping my forehead according to the tattoo pattern. That wasn?t too bad. A little heat and sometimes a bit of a tingling sensation. However on more sensitive areas of the face and neck, there was definite pain. It reminded me of facial electrolysis.

As the nurse noticed me tensing with the pain, she offered me a small foam ball to squeeze. The doctor told me to breathe deeply. I learned that there is a definite rhythm to maximize the pain relief using these techniques. Inhale deeply. Squeeze the ball tightly and exhale with the pain. It really helped. Kind of like mini-Lamaze, I guess.

Several times, the doctor asked me if I wanted him to lower the intensity. Each time I said, ?No?. I wanted the maximum benefit from the treatment. The doctor made a first pass over each area. This was the only painful one.

Then he did a second pass at the interstices (between the first points). Finally, he went over the ?really bad areas? (his words, not mine ? but I think we all know what he meant!). I hardly felt that. An hour after the procedure started, I was done. Big sigh of relief.

I was unplugged. The doctor and nurse wiped the tattoo from my skin.

Next time, I?ll tell you about aftercare and answer the burning question, ?Would I ever do this again??

Sunday, September 17, 2006
Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? You Bethcha!

When I last wrote (I feel like I?m doing an old radio show ? ?When we last left Little Orphan Annie, she was cowering in the coal bin with her faithful dog, Sandy ?), my Thermage procedure had just been completed. I stood up from the ?dentist?s chair? and felt a bit woozy. The nurse said that was from the tension and it quickly dissipated.

I went to the washroom to freshen up and get the first glimpse of the new me. No redness, no swelling. I looked pretty much as I did right before the Thermage. I say ?pretty much? because I thought I detected a slightly tightened look but realize that may have been wishful thinking on my part.

My face felt fine. There were a couple spots of very minor tenderness, but nothing I would even take an aspirin for. Then I sat down with the doctor to learn about aftercare.

For two months I am to drink a tablespoon of chlorophyll dissolved in water morning and night, as well as a glass of 1000mg of vitamin C dissolved in water.

In the morning I am to put on a high SPF face cream and at night, an active C, a.k.a. L-ascorbic acid or C esther face cream. My doctor explained that vitamin C is the best thing for collagen.

Who knew? I?m not sure why the chlorophyll and want to research that.

It?s now eight days post-treatment. My husband says in profile he sees a remarkable improvement in my neck. I see a remarkable improvement over all. I just look better every day. Friends are starting to look at me funny but no one has asked ?the? question yet.

Am I glad I did it? As they say in the movie ?Fargo?, ?You betcha!?

Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Thermage Options and Alternatives

If you?re interested in Thermage after reading my blow-by-blow account, go to the Thermage website. There you will find lots more information, before and after videos of real people, and even a worldwide Thermage-certified physician finder.

If you live in a high cost country, like the U.S. or Canada, you may want to consider combining a vacation with your Thermage. The money you save on the Thermage will probably pay for your vacation. And since there is no recovery period or post-treatment pain you can enjoy all of your stay.

By: Jean Bowler, manager of the Ageless Beauty website, devoted to help all baby boomers hold on to the glow of youth for as long as possible. For more on plastic surgery and cosmetic proicedures, please visit our AntiAging Cosmetic Procedures Guide.

A Sons Journey into the World of Non Surgical Facelifts

My mother dropped a bombshell, she said she had decided to go for a full surgical facelift. My dad and I were stunned, we didn't think there was anything wrong with mums' face, we'd seen it for years and it was OK, but I guess she had read just one Hollywood celebrity article too many and had decided that it was time to address the march of time.

My dad was quite upset. I am not sure if he was thinking about the cost, the danger of surgery or the fact that my mum might be thinking about toy boys. Anyway I decided to do some research into it and found a whole world of different facelifting techniques.

Apart from the knife, there is laser and a large category known as non surgical face lifts which include face peels, some sort of radio waves that only burn about 6% of their customers, injections of some sort of toxic fluid, anti aging creams and facial exercises.

Out the whole range of weird and wonderful methods, I thought that facial exercises seemed the most benign, although it would take the most commitment from the patient. I was not sure if it wouldn't be better seeing my mum come home with a new face and a few stitches and bruises for a few days, than having to endure her going around pulling faces all the time, like some extra in a Three Stooges movie but I persisted.

On closer examination there is another vast world of facial exercises, some free, some you pay for, all guaranteeing to make the face look younger, fitter or better. Some come with celebrity endorsements or an 'as seen on TV' tag or calling it yoga for the face, it was all quite baffling.

Then I came across a site called Facialwizard at www.facialwizard.yourpower2be.com/facialwizardprogram.html , maybe it was the name, but I decided to have a look and I must say that I was surprised at what they had to offer. As well as the facial exercises, it included acupoint massage which is like acupuncture but instead of sticking needles into the specific points, you massage there. As I had received acupuncture for a motorcycle injury I knew it was good stuff, so I was impressed.

Another part of the program is called magnet therapy, which I noted incurred extra expenditure to take full advantage of its' benefits but I have heard of sports guys using it to recover from injuries faster, so I figured if they use it must be good.

The final part of this program is called EFT (emotional freedom technique) which they say will not only help you to keep doing your exercises but will also improve your life, get rid of any traumas and generally make you feel good. Now this part had me a little worried, but I knew my mum might have a problem keeping up with her daily exercises. She had joined a gym but couldn't be bothered to keep going and had taken up any number of things up but got bored with them.

I went over to Gary Craigs' website to find out about this EFT and it was really amazing just what this EFT can do.

That I think, clinched it for me, so like the guy in the Charles Atlas adverts I gambled a mere $25 and got the download, which came with 5 free other neat things that my mum really liked, which turned out to be one of the best birthday presents she ever had as the e-book is incredibly stylish.

Now she is looking really great and says she is feeling really good, my dad is still a bit worried about toyboys but she is getting him to use the program as well so he can compete.

This Facialwizard is really the best of the facial exercise programs, given all the extras it includes.

The weirdest thing is that I had a toothache one day and my mum used that EFT on me and it disappeared. I will be investigating this further.

Ian Richards started writing many years ago on Frizz Newspaper for hair, fashion and the beautifull people, in London. He also wrote the astrology column for the teen magazine Starstruck. He then became an international press photographer but has now returned to his writing roots.