Dr. Jacobsen recognizes there are many options when it comes to receiving a facelift in Phoenix. One’s face is possibly the body’s most personal and precious part. As such, the facelift is a delicate procedure requiring a good, experienced plastic surgeon in Phoenix. Dr. Jacobsen feels very privileged and honored for every patient who lets him care for their facelift and sculpt the face they have always wanted. Although the title of best cosmetic surgeon in Phoenix is subjective, Dr. Jacobsen can assure you that you will have one of the best experiences in Phoenix facial plastic surgery.

When it comes to Phoenix facelift doctors, Dr. Jacobsen strives to provide excellent service before, during, and after the procedure. Some surgeons claim in their advertising that they teach other surgeons how to perform facelifts or other cosmetic surgery in Phoenix to elevate their advertised facelift skills as a marketing technique. Dr. Jacobsen instead uses that time to further his own techniques, instead of teaching something that can always be improved on. Dr. Jacobsen will personally assure you that you will have an excellent and safe surgical procedure for your facelift, followed by care by his staff and fastidious follow-up seven days a week. Dr. Jacobsen will be there for you and answer your calls, emails, and texts after your surgery. When it comes to Phoenix facial plastic surgery, Dr. Jacobsen knows that with his experienced surgical skills and wonderful postoperative service, you will not only get the facelift you’ve wanted but also one of the best facelift Phoenix experiences.

Facelift surgery must be done very carefully. The surgery requires delicate surgical skills and careful attention to detail. Each patient wishes to have certain parts of the face tightened to give a more youthful look or healthier look and a more awake and alert look. Generally, the incisions are in front of the ear, hidden in a vertical fold in this position, and then following the back of the ear, and then down the scalp at the hairline, and behind the ear as well. These incisions are often easily hidden in the normal lines of the face.

Through these incisions, the face can be lifted. Lifting the neck and creating a better contour to the neck and the angle under the chin tightens this area as well as the lower and middle portion of the face. Skin is removed, allowing the face and neck to be tightened. Often, an incision is required under the chin to assist in tightening the neck, creating a more favorable angle under the chin.

Most patients wish to have a natural look and not to be pulled tight too much. Leaving a fresh and healthier appearance without looking like they have had a facelift or recent operation. Dr. Jacobsen does his best to give you a natural look without pulling it too much.

The number 1 question patients ask is, what is their downtime? The downtime is particularly different depending on what your daily life is like. If you have a conference or have to give a talk to a large room with people, you probably will need to have three weeks of recovery to allow the swelling to go to an adequate to feel comfortable speaking in front of people. However, if you are comfortable working at a desk, you can likely return to work in a week.

Swelling often needs to be cared for, and only time will bring this down. Most of the swelling is largely gone after the 1st week and continues to decrease over the next 2 weeks. Because the facelift really is not noticeably painful, people tend to do more after the surgery than they should. Dr. Jacobsen and his staff warn patients to minimize physical activity and to avoid lifting, straining, bending over, or loading the dishwasher, opening heavy doors, or carrying heavy bags. This causes swelling to persist. If you do too much, you will experience persistent swelling. The swelling always goes down eventually, but you want it to go down quickly! So, follow the simple activity limitations, and you will be fine and recover quickly!

Often, the facelift and the neck lift are combined into one operation. The facelift is done by tightening the lower face but also a portion of the upper neck must be tightened as well to have a tapered appearance from the face to the neck. Similarly, if the neck is the focus of the tightening, then a portion of the lower face must be tightened as well so that the neck tapers nicely into the face. The face cannot be tightened entirely by itself without the neck. The neck cannot be tightened entirely by itself without the face being tightened, so there is a nice taper from one anatomic area to another.

Dr. Jacobsen uses a compressive elastic garment that extends from the top of the head with a Velcro under the chin and the face to apply gentle pressure to give a nice contour to the neck and to prevent bruising and bleeding after the operation. This usually is used only for 3 or 4 days after the surgery.

Women usually asked about using ice on their faces. I do not recommend using ice on the facial skin after the surgery, as this can cause some injury to the delicate facial skin.

Facelift operations are very well tolerated by women. It is nearly painless. It is one of the most painless operations and cosmetic surgery. It would seem as though the operation would be quite painful, because of the incision and the sensitivity around the face and neck. However, most women feel very little pain but more of a sensation of tightness. It is very important after the operation to avoid lifting or straining.

The incisions are finally closed with very fine suture material. Dr. Jacobsen uses absorbable suture material. The suture material is dissolvable and usually falls out on its own after about two weeks. The incisions are sealed with a fine layer of DermaBond, a cyanoacrylate that is much like superglue but is flexible and sterile. This seals the incision, prevents bleeding, and allows you to shower immediately after the surgery. The incisions after the surgery required no creams or ointments, or any specific care other than keeping them clean and dry with antibacterial soap and water. You may shower directly after the incision as well. It is best to treat not to treat the face with ice packs after surgery. This can be very comforting to minimize the swelling but can injure the skin if not done carefully! The best way to minimize the swelling, however, is to avoid lifting and straining after the operation. Even minor bending over to load the dishwasher can often allow your face to fill up with blood and feel congested, causing you to bruise or bleed. It is best not to bend over or to lift and to allow your family to help you with car doors and heavy doors wherever you are. He should sleep with her head bed elevated at least 30° with an extra pillow, which also helps a great deal.

Your blood pressure should be maintained in a normal range as well. Bruising always goes away with time and is always disappointing when patient skin bruises around your face and neck. It always goes away with time, but it is best to avoid this as much as possible with your own postoperative care.

Please feel free to contact Dr. Jacobsen’s office with any questions or to schedule an appointment! Secure texting for photos and questions 24/7 at 623.888.8153

Dr. Jacobson does not use facial drains.

Normally, for a full facelift, the patient stays overnight in the surgery center recovery care center so that we can control their blood pressure and any pain issues that they may have, as well as ensure that they are well hydrated and without any nausea so that they can recover smoothly. Often, patients feel perfect throughout the day after the surgery and wonder why they stayed overnight. Usually, patients feel great because the nursing staff there under Dr. Jacobsen’s direction and take great care to ensure you are as comfortable as possible.

Dr. Jacobsen prescribes a facial garment that is compressive and is worn under the chin and over the cheeks for the first few days to minimize any bleeding and to minimize swelling. This is a comfortable elastic device that can be taken on and off after surgery.

Patients often wish to have only their neck or only their face done without the other. It should be kept in mind, however, that whenever the neck is lifted, the lower part of the face has to be lifted a little bit with it; otherwise, there is a transition zone between the neck and the face that causes folds, so a neck lift has to be tapered up onto the face. Inversely, if the face is done, the lower face must be tapered by lifting a portion of the upper neck. Otherwise, another transition zone between the face and the neck causes folds, so a facelift has to be tapered down onto the upper portion of the neck.

Commonly the chin is somewhat saggy. Chin is sag can create the loss of the sharp angle and definition of the underside of the chin with the neck. During the facelift this area is rejuvenated by making a small incision under the chin directly in the fold

under the chin that all adults have. In this way, this incision is hidden. This incision can be used to remove some of the fat under the chin and to tighten the muscles under the chin as well. This gives a much sharper angle to the chin and to the neck. As a result, there are often incisions in front of the ear behind the ear and under the chin as well. But this chin incision is not always needed.

It should be noted that for men, many times, a facelift is a bit more complicated. Because of the bearded skin, there is a higher likelihood of bleeding and bruising postoperatively. The blood supply to the bearded hair-bearing skin of the face and neck in men is much more profound and thicker. This can be managed, and a facelift in a man is safe; however, it requires very careful surgery and very careful postoperative care. This can change the border of the hair-bearing skin as it pulls the hair-bearing skin laterally towards the ear slightly and up towards the posterior neck as well. Sometimes, male patients will have to shave just a little bit differently to accommodate the facelift.

Some Key Notes

· All the sutures used by Dr. Jacobsen are dissolvable. Drains are rarely used. All the incisions have surgical sterile glue placed on the incisions, so you may take a shower the same day after surgery.

· Facelift surgery must be done under light general anesthesia and SurgiCenter. You may need to have a physical by your family doctor, electrocardiogram, and blood work done ahead of time.

· Patients are often concerned that they may need another facelift in the future. This is possible. The likelihood of needing an additional facelift in the future depends on many factors, including the nature of your skin, activity, smoking, and other risk factors. You do not have to wait until you are very old and look old before you can have a facelift.

· Younger patients are now having facelifts in their 40s. Even having a small mini facelift to help freshen their face with minimal scarring. The mini facelift has a very short downtime.

WHAT IS A FACELIFT?

A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that improves visible signs of aging in the face and neck, such as:

· Sagging in the middle of your face

· Deep creases below the lower eyelids

· Deep creases along the nose extending to the corner of the mouth.

· Fat that has fallen or has disappeared.

· Loss of skin tone in the lower face that creates jowls.

· Loose skin and excess fatty deposits under the chin and jaw can give even a person of average weight the appearance of a double chin.

The loss of youthful contours in the face can be due to various factors, including heredity, gravity, environmental conditions, and stress. Rejuvenation procedures typically performed in conjunction with a facelift are brow lift to correct a sagging or deeply furrowed brow and eyelid surgery to rejuvenate aging eyes.

WHAT A FACELIFT WON’T DO

As a restorative surgery, a facelift does not change your fundamental appearance and cannot stop aging. A facelift can only be performed surgically; non-surgical rejuvenation treatments cannot achieve the same results but may help delay the time at which a facelift becomes appropriate and complement the results of surgery.

A facelift procedure includes the following steps:

STEP 1: ANESTHESIA

Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure. The choices include intravenous sedation and general anesthesia. Dr Jacobsen will recommend the best choice for you.

STEP 2: THE INCISION

Depending on the degree of change you’d like to see, your facelift choices include a traditional facelift, a limited incision facelift, or a neck lift.

A traditional facelift incision often begins in the hairline at the temples, continues around the ear, and ends in the lower scalp. Fat may be sculpted or redistributed from the face, jowls, and neck, and underlying tissue is repositioned; commonly, the deeper layers of the face and the muscles are also lifted. Skin is redraped over the uplifted contours and excess skin is trimmed away.

A second incision under the chin may be necessary to improve an aging neck further. Sutures or skin adhesives close the incisions.

Traditional Facelift

An alternative to a traditional facelift uses shorter incisions at the temples, continuing around the ear and possibly within the lower eyelids or under the upper lip.

Limited Incision – Mini Facelift

A neck lift may correct sagging jowls, loose neck skin, and fat accumulation under the chin. The neck lift incision often begins in front of the ear lobe and wraps around behind the ear, ending in the lower scalp. Most women feel they need a “mini,” but a “mini” is rarely effective, usually in ladies with minimal sagging in the midface and usually in their 40s. If you are thinking about a facelift you probably need a facelift, not a “mini” !

Neck Lift

The neck lift is usually combined with a facelift. The neck lift is used to correct redundant skin on the neck, particularly under the chin. The skin is not excised directly under the chin, leaving quite a considerable scar. Instead, the skin is pulled up behind the ear on the LEFT and RIGHT sides, and the dissection is carried from behind the ear down to the neck, allowing the skin to be lifted from the LEFT and RIGHT sides just as you would do with your hands in front of the mirror. This tightens the skin around the neck and under the chin. An additional incision is often made under the chin, allowing fat to be removed under the chin and the muscle and the chin to be tightened to give a better angle under the chin and a sharper appearance to the angle of the chin. The neck lift is rarely done by itself and is usually done in combination with a facelift. If the neck skin is pulled tight, it will create an imbalanced look with the facial skin that is not pulled tight. So generally, with a facelift, the neck is pulled up slightly as well, and with the neck lift, the face is pulled up slightly as well. With a full facelift, the neck is limited to some significant degree as a matter of the course of a facelift. What you need and what you want to change can be determined by examination, and Dr. Jacobsen can help you with this.

STEP 3: CLOSING THE INCISIONS

Once healed, the incision lines from a facelift are well concealed within the hairline and in the natural contours of the face and ear.