Facelift after Weight Loss
Significant weight loss can be life changing but loose skin can diminish such an achievement. While loose skin on areas like the stomach can be covered with clothes, hanging skin from the neck and chin aren’t easily masked. A facelift can improve the appearance and enhance weight loss results by removing excess skin and streamlining facial contours.
At Devlin Cosmetic Surgery, Michael A. Devlin offers facelift after weight loss to patients in Little Rock, AR, Conway, AR, Hot Springs, AR, and surrounding areas. To find out if a facelift is right for your needs, we welcome you to schedule a consultation.
Weight Loss and Facial Skin
The skin stretches with weight gain. While fat can be lost through diet and exercise, the same is not true for the skin. As a result, many individuals who have lost a significant amount of weight will have some amount of loose, hanging skin.
When loose skin develops around the face, jawline, and neck after weight loss, it can impact your overall appearance. The skin under the neck may hang too loose. Other issues patients may notice after significant weight loss are gaunt looking cheeks, deep nasolabial folds, and lack of definition around the jawline, which can make a person appear older than they are.
How Can a Facelift Help?
A facelift can do more than rejuvenate the face. A traditional facelift targets the lower portions of the face, including the mid-cheek area and neck. A facelift can address many of the facial skin issues people may develop after weight loss with the removal of excess skin and tightening of the remaining skin and underlying muscles. This helps create a smoother, firmer, and more rejuvenated appearance.
After weight loss, a facelift can help further reveal the structures of the face, like the contours of the jawline and cheekbones, by eliminating loose skin. Facelift surgery can help by:
- Reducing the appearance of jowls
- Reducing the appearance of wrinkles
- Lifting the cheeks
- Removing excess skin to create a tighter, firmer appearance
- Revealing more definition along the chin and jawline
The Facelift Procedure and Recovery
Typically when the facelift procedure is performed to remove excess skin after weight loss, incisions are made along the hairline starting at the temples, following along the ears, and ending at the lower scalp. Often when performing a facelift after weight loss an additional incision is made under the chin. Incisions are made as small as possible and placed in areas where scars will be least noticeable.
After the incisions are made, the tissues, underlying fat, and muscles are repositioned and the excess skin is removed. Once done, the incisions are sutured closed.
Patients should expect to experience some bruising and swelling after surgery, which should mostly resolve within a few weeks. As the incisions heal, swelling resolves, and the tissues adjust to their new contours, the full results of facelift surgery will become apparent.
Complete Your Weight Loss Transformation with a Facelift
A facelift can remove loose, hanging skin from the face to reveal a more youthful, attractive appearance. A facelift may even be combined with other procedures, such as dermal fillers, to restore plumpness to areas that may look deflated after weight loss, such as the cheeks, to complete your transformation.
Schedule a Consultation
If weight loss has left you with excess facial skin, a facelift may be right for you. To learn more, call (501) 227-8811 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Michael A. Devlin.
