The facelift is a major procedure performed by a cosmetic surgeon to restore a more youthful facial appearance. Once the surgeon recommends facelift as the most appropriate procedure to meet the patient’s aesthetic goals, it is up to the patient to decide whether to go ahead with it. Such a decision is highly personal, and the patient must evaluate the potential risks and complications, and choose the most trusted and reputed plastic surgeon for the procedure.
The patient will be required to sign consent forms, which will commit that the patient is fully aware of the potential risks as well as safety issues involved with this procedure. Dr. Paul McCluskey is an experienced plastic surgeon providing facelift and other procedures to patients in Atlanta, GA and surrounding areas.
Potential Risks and Complications
The cosmetic surgeon will discuss the potential risks and complications during the initial consultation for facelift, and help the patient make an informed decision.
Risks of General Anesthesia
Facelift procedure may be performed using general anesthesia or intravenous sedation with local anesthesia. The decision will depend on the extent of surgery involved and other specific circumstances of a case. The skills and experience of the anesthesiologist are an important factor to ensure complete safety in case of general anesthesia.
Risks of Bleeding
The risk of excess bleeding is typically inherent in any major procedure performed by a plastic surgeon. To ensure total patient safety, the surgeon should advise the patient to stop taking any medications or herbal supplements that could augment the risk of bleeding. Medical history and previous surgeries of the patient should be evaluated to ensure that the patient is not at any abnormal risk of bleeding during surgery.
Risks of Infection
The patient is exposed to some degree of risk of infection during and after the procedure until the wounds have healed fully. The surgeon’s post-op care instructions should be followed carefully during recovery. The surgeon may provide antibiotic drugs to mitigate the risk of pre and post-surgery infection.
Risks of Facial Nerve Injury
A complex procedure such as facelift should only be performed by a qualified and experienced plastic surgeon. If any surgical error causes injury to facial nerves, it could cause undesirable side effects and muscular weakness in the area. A revision surgery may be necessary in such cases to correct the condition.
Other Risks
Poor wound healing, skin loss, permanent or temporary loss of hair in the area of the incisions, excess accumulation of fluid in the wounds, loss of sensation in the treated areas, acute or continuous pain, conspicuous scarring, persistent swelling, skin irregularities and discoloration in the treated areas are some of the other potential risks.
If the surgery is performed less than perfectly in some case, it may result in asymmetry of the face, loss of natural facial integrity and identity, or unsatisfactory visible deformities at the incision ends. Dr. McCluskey advises patients in Atlanta, GA and other areas to receive the facelift procedure only from experienced and marvelous surgeons.
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