A facelift revision procedure is also known as a secondary facelift. This surgery helps fix complications or deterioration of the skin after a primary facelift. Some patients who had a facelift more than ten years ago may opt for a revision as the natural aging process continues.
A facelift revision procedure targets numerous issues. These include sagging skin, hollow eyes, sunken cheeks, flat eyebrows, over-stretched face and distorted earlobes. In some cases, patients may need a revision relatively soon after the primary facelift. This is particularly the case if surgeons removed only excess skin and the face muscles were not lifted. Lifting the tissues encourages longer-lasting results. A facelift revision can revitalize the skin and restore it to its appearance after the primary facelift.
A secondary facelift is usually not as invasive and severe as the primary facelift. This makes the downtime and recovery faster and smoother.
Patients who wish to have a facelift revision need to wait at least six months after their original procedure. This is to ensure full recovery and healing of the scar tissues. When the primary facelift is well-healed, the secondary process will have a more effortless recovery experience.
A facelift revision surgery may be performed under local anesthetic together with oral sedation or under general anesthesia. The techniques used for a revision facelift will differ for each patient depending on their goals and desired results.
Some patients may need a neck lift if the skin has lost elasticity over the years. Skin resurfacing procedures may also be used to target wrinkles and fine lines.
Doctors recommend patients take a few weeks off work to recover after the revision surgery. Patients will experience some swelling and bruising. These will subside after 48 hours and start to fade after two weeks, but it will take a few weeks for the overall appearance to look more natural.
The final results will take six months for a visible and noticeable lifted appearance.
