Understanding What Facelift Can and Cannot Do

Facelift is considered to be the gold standard in facial rejuvenation as it addresses various signs of aging all at once. That said, the procedure does have its limitations. When considering facelift, it is important to understand exactly what facelift can and cannot do. Albany plastic surgeon Dr. Sanjiv Kayastha explains more in this blog post.
What Facelift Can Do
Tighten lax tissue and reposition displaced fat below the lower eyelids, on the cheeks, and along the jawline.
Over time, the face loses its youthful contours, primarily because fat falls and sags or becomes displaced. Facelift addresses this concern by tightening the underlying tissue on the cheeks and area under the lower eyelids. It also repositions displaced fat to restore natural-looking facial contours.
Smooth out wrinkles and lines on the cheeks and around the mouth.
A byproduct of tightening lax skin and tissue is the smoothing out of wrinkles and lines. Facelift softens the appearance of wrinkles, lines and creases on the cheeks and around the mouth, also known as nasolabial folds or laugh lines.
Remove excess skin on the cheeks and jawline.
Facelift is a great choice if you have saggy skin that hangs off the cheeks or jawline. During surgery, loose skin is removed to reveal a more flattering cheek contour or sleeker jawline.
What Facelift Cannot Do
Address hyperpigmentation, age spots, redness, dry skin.
Facelift cannot improve the quality of the skin’s tone or texture. However, the procedure can be combined with a non-surgical skin treatment like laser skin resurfacing or microdermabrasion that does address signs of sun damage such as hyperpigmentation, dryness and age spots. Laser skin resurfacing and microdermabrasion involve minimal downtime and few risks. For optimal results, multiple sessions are recommended.
Rejuvenate the eyelids or brow.
Facelift focuses on the middle and lower facial regions and leaves the upper facial region untouched. Two other surgical procedures, eyelid surgery and brow lift, are designed to rejuvenate the eyelids and brow, respectively. Both procedures can be performed in conjunction with facelift to achieve more transformative results.
Stop the aging process.
Facelift can offer long-lasting results but cannot stop the aging process altogether. To prolong your youthful and rejuvenated appearance after facelift, it is important to follow a good skin care routine, eat healthily, hydrate and exercise regularly. Dr. Kayastha can offer more tips during an in-person consultation.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kayastha, please contact his Albany practice today.