The right age to have surgery is when you feel you have sufficient appearance of aging to be willing to undergo a significant surgical operation, its risks, and the necessary recovery period, when the surgeon feels significant benefit would be achieved from the operation, and when your general health is good.

For a facelift this may be at the age of forty, fifty, sixty, or into the seventies. Some surgeons suggest doing the surgery early to get the best possible and most lasting results…this may seem in some ways to be overselling an operation but when the elasticity of the skin and deep structures is better, the results of surgery may be better and longer lasting.

I don’t do facelifts on patients less than forty except in very unusual cases. There seem to be two peak age groups, the early to mid forties, and from fifty through the mid-sixties, although I have done facelifts on patients in their late seventies.

There is no evidence that doing a "mini-facelift" early makes the face age better, but many patients begin to benefit from current techniques by the early 40's. However excellent results may be achieved at any age from the forties through the seventies, when and if the patient feels it is time.

Eyelid changes may or may not be even age related. In some young patients bulging of the fat in the lower eyelids is hereditary, and the patient usually tells me his or her father or mother always had the same appearance.Surgery can be well worthwhile even in the mid-twenties. Many patients finally come to have the surgery in their thirties and forties and have had the same appearance of their lower lids since their teens.

Brow lifts, similarly, should be done when the time is right. If there are deep vertical frown lines, they can be treated by muscle reduction whenever present, and drooping of the brows is common by the mid-thirties.
What is the recovery time?

I usually tell my facelift patients to plan on ten working days away from work, but some younger, healthy patients to return to work in a week. The recovery from endoscopic forehead lifts and eyelid surgery is usually faster, and return to work in a week is the rule rather than the exception.

Part of the role of the plastic surgeon is to place the incisions in such a way

Full recovery is, however, incomplete at these times. Healing goes on long beyond the removal of stitches. Scars become a little thicker and redder during the first few weeks, and then gradually fade. After stitches are removed you can get back to wearing makeup and this may help with your return to work The final healing process takes many weeks and final settling of scars to soft, flat, pale appearance may take up to a year or longer.

Surgery always involves some form of incision and work beneath the surface, and this means some small veins and arteries must be cut. Although bruising is usually not very extensive, it varies greatly from one patient to another.

Lasers have some benefits in cosmetic surgery but using a cutting laser as a surgical scalpel seems to be of more benefit in selling an operation than it is to the patient. Studies have shown that there is no benefit in terms of bleeding, bruising, healing time, or to the final result.

We use devices to seal off any significant blood vessels but the tiniest vessels, and capillaries seal better if your own body clotting system is allowed to do the work. For this reason, anything which impairs this function, such as the use of aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs, Vitamin E, and some homeopathic remedies must be avoided. We will provide you with a complete list of what to avoid.

If you bruise or bleed easily, you must tell your surgeon in advance, because there may be a problem with your ability to clot. Many women describe themselves as easy bruisers, but the key is whether or not you get unexplained bruises or whether you simply get a bruise anytime you bump yourself. We may need to order certain tests to to rule out bleeding problems.

The typical response to this question has been that surgery does not stop the "clock," it merely sets back the time on the clock of aging. This answer is incomplete. Using current facelift methods, some of the changes are profound and long lasting, such as the removal of fat from the neck and re-alignment of neck muscles, and the removal of bulging fat and excess skin from the eyelids

No. You will look refreshed, relaxed, and perhaps like you have been exercising and toned up, but natural and certainly not as though you have had surgery, if current techniques are used.

To learn more, please visit our Facelifts information page.