Facelift

A facelift, also known as a rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that enhances facial contours, reduces sagging skin, and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles and lines. Eliminating excess skin and repositioning the soft tissues of the face can take several years off of your appearance and the results are long-lasting. Facelifts at Colorado Facial Plastic Surgery will tighten skin and lift the sagging soft tissues to create a more attractive, youthful appearance.

Our experienced Denver plastic surgeons deeply understand facial anatomy and the complex intricacies of facelift procedures. Both Dr. Mario Imola and Dr. David Kowalczyk have been helping patients achieve life-changing results for several decades and will use their refined skills to create a natural look you will love.

Contact our office today or call (303) 839-7980 to schedule an initial consultation. Our Colorado Facial Plastic Surgery team will help you decide which popular cosmetic surgery solution is the best fit for you.

Before and After Photos

View More Photos

Facelift Overview

As we age, the soft tissues of the face gradually weaken and yield to the force of gravity. As a result, skin can start to droop and wrinkles become more pronounced. Even if you try to hide your age with makeup, your cheeks will gradually develop tell-tale depressions and folds. The soft tissues of the face will start to fall below the lower jawline, making the jowls more pronounced. In the area under your chin, excess skin and fat can result in a ‘turkey neck’ appearance and muscle banding can show through the skin.

A facelift is an effective anti-aging solution with powerful results and many customizable options. A properly planned facelift procedure will eliminate wrinkles and restore a youthful and natural facial appearance. Surgical lifting procedures might be confusing at first because there are so many different types. The term facelift is commonly used “loosely’ for surgery at multiple levels of the face and neck without specifying which area exactly is being lifted. At Colorado Facial Plastic Surgery, we will help you decide which type of facelift procedure is the right fit. Your safety and goals are our priorities, so we always discuss the different types of facelifts available at our office.

Midface Lift

This procedure is used to primarily reposition the cheek mound that has descended with age back up to its original prominence over the cheekbone. It can be performed through a variety of approaches. The most powerful method is to use a “subperiosteal” technique that releases the cheek soft tissues directly over the cheekbone. This method uses a combined approach from the temple area as well as through the mouth. Alternatively, if a lower facelift is being performed then an extended dissection from this approach will allow for lifting of the cheek soft tissues.

Lower Face Lift

This component of face lifting is designed to elevate the drooping tissues in the lower face overhanging the jawline and in the region of the jowls. The incision passes from the temple region to the front of the ear then around the ear lobe and up the groove behind the ear. When expertly performed the incisions will heal in a very well camouflaged manner that is barely perceptible.

Neck Lift

A neck lift addresses the aging changes in the region under the jawline on each side of the neck and/or under the chin in the middle of the neck. For the region under the chin, surgeons use a small horizontal incision in the midline area. This part of a neck lift is also known as a submentoplasty and can be used as a stand-alone procedure for limited aging at the front of the neck. The goal is to reduce any fatty fullness either using liposuction or direct excision of fat to restore a sharp chin-to-neck angle.

In addition, a submentoplasty ⁽²⁾ almost always includes a platysmaplasty to improve the muscle banding that can occur here. For the sides of the neck, the surgeon makes an incision around the ear passing back into the scalp region behind the ear. This gives access to the neck area below the jawline which can be lifted and tightened. Except for an isolated submentoplasty to address the front of the neck, a neck lift is usually combined with some degree of a lower facelift procedure to avoid a sudden cutoff and “pleating” at the jawline.

Benefits of a Facelift

Facelifts at Colorado Facial Plastic Surgery offer a wide range of benefits to improve signs of aging and dramatically rejuvenate your appearance, including:

After a facelift procedure, you will have natural-looking and long-lasting results. Facelift procedures are suitable for all genders and scarring is practically invisible due to the years of expertise that both Dr. Mario Imola and Dr. David Kowalczyk bring to the table.

Candidates

The age of people undergoing face-lifting surgery has decreased over the past several years. Whereas a few decades ago this surgery tended to occur in people in their late 50s and older, nowadays those in their 40s who are experiencing early aging features are electing to undergo face and neck lifting. However, personal factors such as your lifestyle, medications, and medical history may affect your eligibility. Your surgeon will discuss your options during your initial consultation and outline a treatment plan to help you achieve the results you want. Lifestyle factors such as smoking or taking certain types of medication could affect your eligibility for the procedure.

Personal Consultation

During your consultation, your surgeon will review your medical history and discuss how a facelift will help you achieve the results you desire. We will ask you to provide information about your medical history and your reasons for wanting a facelift. We will also discuss your surgical goals to make sure the procedure is the right fit. During your consultation, we will discuss preparation, recovery time, and any lifestyle factors that need to be adjusted to help you prepare for surgery.

Recovery

Following surgery, patients usually experience mild to moderate pain that can be controlled with non-narcotic medications in most patients. Some patients may require a few days of narcotic medication. Swelling and bruising occur through the lifted regions. Patients can take several postoperative measures to minimize this, including applying cooling pads and pressure bandages and taking steroid medications and supplements. There will be some degree of numbness through the operated areas that gradually resolves after a few weeks. Patients are expected to follow a set of detailed care instructions following surgery. We will remove your sutures 7 days after surgery. Most patients can return to work within 2 to 4 weeks depending on the extent and complexity of the surgery.

Results

Facelift procedures can help you attain a natural-looking, rejuvenated appearance with age-defying results. Our doctors will help you achieve a natural-looking appearance with life-changing benefits. After you work with our board-certified plastic surgeons at our Denver location you will look years younger and feel more confident. Book a consultation at Colorado Facial Plastic Surgery to learn more about the facelift treatments available.

To explore other aesthetic treatment options, see our blog.

Related Procedures

A number of other facial rejuvenation procedures can be combined with face and neck lifting either at the same time or spaced a short time apart as staged procedures.

Facial Fat Transfer

Volume loss is one of the principal causes contributing to the characteristic aging appearance in the face. It can occur at all levels and varies in severity between patients. Although the tissue repositioning that occurs with face lifting surgery helps improve volume loss, facial fat transfer represents the best available option for volume restoration. The procedure involves the use of small cannulas to harvest the fat from various abdominal or lower body areas, processing the fat, and then using very fine cannulas to carefully place it around the face. Facial fat transfer is the most common procedure combined with face-lifting.

Forehead and Brow Lift

A forehead-brow lift is the perfect addition to a facelift to help create a uniform rejuvenated appearance through the whole face. Forehead and brow lifting is used to restore proper position to sagging brows and can also improve deep wrinkles in the forehead skin. A variety of different approaches are available and the surgeons at Colorado Facial Plastic Surgery will carefully review your unique facial features and recommend the best options. For more details, refer to our forehead-brow lift page.

Blepharoplasty

Cosmetic eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, is used to restore a youthful appearance to the upper and lower eyelids. The procedures are geared to correct different aging features that may be present such as skin wrinkling and sagging, upper eyelid hooding, and prominent fat pads or ‘bags’.

How Much Does a Facelift Cost in Denver?

The cost of your facelift will depend on your needs. During your consultation, we will create a unique treatment plan based on your goals. To avoid unnatural-looking results, we recommend that you concentrate on finding a skilled surgeon instead of just looking for the cheapest price. Colorado Facial Plastic Surgery can help you find low-interest financing that will make your surgery super affordable. Book a consultation at Colorado Facial Plastic Surgery to learn more about these treatments and other

aesthetic procedures. Contact our office or call (303)839-7980 for a personal consultation and an all-inclusive quote.

FAQ

References

1. Whitney ZB, Jain M, Zito PM. Anatomy, Skin, Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System (SMAS) Fascia. PubMed. Published 2024. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30085556/#:~:text=The%20superficial%20musculoaponeurotic%20system%2C%20or
2. Watson D. Submentoplasty. Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America. 2005;13(3):459-467. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsc.2005.04.008