AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

Rhytidoplasty o facelift improves the appearance of the face by managing fatty deposits and rearranging excess or sagging skin and tissues. It can be performed in conjunction with frontoplasty, blepharoplasty, cervicoplasty or in isolation, depending on the needs of the patient.
WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH THE SURGERY?
- Reposition the descended and poorly positioned tissues.
- Remove or reposition excess or hanging skin at the level of the face.
- Attenuate wrinkles that can form on the face and neck.
- Correct the deep folds on the cheeks.
- Distribute facial fat, grafting or putting fat in areas with a deficit to improve facial harmony.
AM I A CANDIDATE FOR A RITIDOPLASTY?

Suppose you are concerned about the aging appearance of your face due to excess fat or tissue accumulation and sagging with deep folds or excess, hanging skin. In that case, a facelift is a helpful alternative for you.
Other non-surgical management alternatives, such as the application of botulinum toxin, facial fillers, and skin revitalization, are performed in the office with less or minimal disability time and can be complementary or improve some facial aspects.
HOW IS THE SURGERY PERFORMED?
It is performed under general anesthesia. The incisions or scars are in the groove in front of the ear and extend behind and back to the scalp. This approach identifies the facial support structures, performs traction and suspension of the descended tissues, and anchors them using sutures. Excess soft tissue and fat are removed, generating a harmonious appearance. Excessively lax skin is removed, recovering a youthful appearance with a natural result.
Ritidoplasty can be accompanied by other surgeries such as blepharoplasty, which requires incisions at the level of the eyelids; cervicoplasty, for which an incision is needed for the level of the chin; and frontoplasty with incisions at the level of the scalp.
There are complementary procedures such as fat grafting and facial peeling.
RECOVERY
Most patients after surgery remain under observation or hospital follow-up the first night after surgery. The objective is to monitor early complications that may arise.
The inflammation and edema after this surgery is marked, which is why it takes one to two weeks to return to work or activities of daily life.
The facial edema persists for several weeks, which improves and progressively resolves over 3 to 6 months.
POST-OPERATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
- Sleep with your head elevated for the first few days to minimize swelling.
- Apply ice wrapped in a plastic bag and protected by a thin cloth for the first two days, every hour for 20 minutes.
- Avoid smoking for three months after surgery.
FREQUENT QUESTIONS Q&A.
- Pain: Post-procedure pain is easily managed with prescription medications.
- Inflammation: Post-surgery inflammation decreases progressively after two weeks until the sixth month.
- Stitch removal: Between 5 and 12 days, according to the evolution of the scar.
- Return to activities: After two weeks, the patient can gradually return to daily activities.
- Exercise: Wait 3 – 4 weeks to perform physical activity.
RESULTS
The objective of the surgery is to show off a rejuvenated facial expression with the repositioning of the tissues and the resection of the redundant tissue. When the inflammation subsides, you will notice an increasingly better facial expression, reaching definitive results after the sixth month of the intervention.
