Face Lift After Massive Weight Loss - Your Options
Massive Weight Loss occurs when you lose greater than 50 - 100 pounds.
Most patients have bariatric surgery, which is surgery to make the stomach smaller or the intestinal pathways, or both, to reduce food absorption.
Patients often end up with loose skin in multiple areas, which is why their facelifts are different from the typical facelift.
If you're one of these patients, first of all CONGRATULATIONS! You've made a wonderful and hard decision to lose your weight, reduce your risks of hypertension and diabetes, and take a huge first step to permanently changing your lifestyle.
It's not an easy decision to make.
If you're one of these patients who has lost significant amounts of weight, you will probably end up having more loose skin than the average facelift patient.
To tighten the facial structures, the SMAS (superficial musculo-aponeurotic system) may need to be tightened more.
You may also need a more aggressive necklift because, you may have more loose neck skin and jowling present.
Normally, plastic surgeons do not have to make a long incision behind the ear for a facelift.
However, if you've lost greater than 50 or 75 pounds recently, they may have to make a longer incision to accommodate the greater amount of skin they have to tighten.
Plastic surgeons may even have to extend the incision into your hair line.
If you're a man, especially a balding men, after massive weight loss, you may have the same length incision, but it may be harder to hide.
Some of my patients have had an incision behind the ear and hidden at the base of their hairline.
Also, facial hair along the sideburn areas need to be carefully re-draped to give a natural sideburn line after surgery.
Your nasolabial folds and the areas under your eyes may have more loose skin than an average facelift patient, so you may need to have those areas released and possibly undergo eyelid lifts to get the best result possible.
If you've had bariatric surgery, you are often are given an ideal body weight goal to achieve.
You should be stable at your ideal body weight for 6 months or longer to get the best results from your facelift.
Also you may need pre-surgical clearance from your primary care doctor before you undergo general anesthesia.
Health insurance will generally not cover facial rejuvenation after massive weight loss, so you will generally undergo a facelift and necklift under cosmetic surgery rates.
Most patients have bariatric surgery, which is surgery to make the stomach smaller or the intestinal pathways, or both, to reduce food absorption.
Patients often end up with loose skin in multiple areas, which is why their facelifts are different from the typical facelift.
If you're one of these patients, first of all CONGRATULATIONS! You've made a wonderful and hard decision to lose your weight, reduce your risks of hypertension and diabetes, and take a huge first step to permanently changing your lifestyle.
It's not an easy decision to make.
If you're one of these patients who has lost significant amounts of weight, you will probably end up having more loose skin than the average facelift patient.
To tighten the facial structures, the SMAS (superficial musculo-aponeurotic system) may need to be tightened more.
You may also need a more aggressive necklift because, you may have more loose neck skin and jowling present.
Normally, plastic surgeons do not have to make a long incision behind the ear for a facelift.
However, if you've lost greater than 50 or 75 pounds recently, they may have to make a longer incision to accommodate the greater amount of skin they have to tighten.
Plastic surgeons may even have to extend the incision into your hair line.
If you're a man, especially a balding men, after massive weight loss, you may have the same length incision, but it may be harder to hide.
Some of my patients have had an incision behind the ear and hidden at the base of their hairline.
Also, facial hair along the sideburn areas need to be carefully re-draped to give a natural sideburn line after surgery.
Your nasolabial folds and the areas under your eyes may have more loose skin than an average facelift patient, so you may need to have those areas released and possibly undergo eyelid lifts to get the best result possible.
If you've had bariatric surgery, you are often are given an ideal body weight goal to achieve.
You should be stable at your ideal body weight for 6 months or longer to get the best results from your facelift.
Also you may need pre-surgical clearance from your primary care doctor before you undergo general anesthesia.
Health insurance will generally not cover facial rejuvenation after massive weight loss, so you will generally undergo a facelift and necklift under cosmetic surgery rates.
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