Questions to Ask When Considering a Secondary Facelift

Important Revision Facelift Questions

All facelift revision procedures are more difficult than first time or primary procedures due to scar tissue that has formed from the first surgery. This scar tissue makes the dissection for a secondary surgery more difficult. Furthermore, there is an unknown factor with regard to the techniques that may have been performed by and skill level of the previous surgeon. If these factors are not ideal there could be a significant distortion of the normal facial anatomy which can make the revision facelift procedure very complex. Therefore, the first thing I ask my patients to do is obtain the operative report from their previous surgeon. This report will give me at least a baseline level of information regarding the exact procedures and techniques that were previously performed. This information helps me to create the appropriate plan to achieve the patient's desired outcome.

As a patient, questions should be asked that pertain to your surgeon's experience and skill level with secondary facelifts. I believe it is very important to perform a muscle tightening procedure for the revision in order to achieve natural results. There are many different facelift techniques and a person should inquire about which technique as well as the reasons why the surgeon would choose a specific technique. You should also ask how long the surgery will take. I have never seen a high quality facelift performed in less than 2.5 hours and almost all of the good facelifts that I have ever watched or performed take at least 3.5 to 4 hours. If your surgeon informs you that your facelift will take 1 or 2 hours then I would certainly get a few other opinions before you decide to proceed.

Finally, you should ask about the operating room and the anesthesiologist. You want to be sure your anesthesiologist is board certified and that the operating room is accredited. Secondary facelifts can be done in a very safe and predictable way as long as your surgeon is skilled, experienced and does not cut corners.