A facelift is a surgical operation to lift up the facial tissues and skin and/or the underlying muscle, in order to have a tighter and smoother face.

A facelift (also called a rhytidectomy) is necessary when we age because our facial muscles become slacker and the skin on the face loses its elasticity, creating folds and lines. Therefore a facelift can reduce saggy skin and wrinkles, producing a more alert and youthful appearance.

Depending on circumstances, facelifts are performed on the whole face (a full facelift) or just on the brow area, neck or lower face only.

Before the operation, it is very important to discuss with your surgeon about the hopes you have and the results you can realistically expect. You should be aware of::

1. none of facelifts are perfect, they cannot remove the fine lines around the lips for example.
2. the effects of a facelift last for about 7 to 10 years.
3. the best results are achieved in people with a stable body weight.
4. in older people, results are better if skin has some natural elasticity.
5. people spending a lot of time in the sun cannot preserve the facelift results for a long.

For a facelift surgery you need to stay one or two nights in hospital. The operation lasts around three to four hours and is usually done under a general anaesthetic. Having a general anaesthetic, you must follow fasting instructions. Certainly, you must not eat or drink for about six hours before anaesthesia.

To avoid complications you must give up smoking before the operation, because smoking is an increased risk of blood clots, infection and slows the healing of wounds. Before to weeks of surgery you must also stop to take any anti-inflammatory medicines as they increase the risk of bleeding.

Do not forget to have a picture taken before the operation so that the results of surgery can be compared with your new appearance.

Valerian D is a freelance writer specialized in health issues such as dark circles around the eye area