Facelift
Enjoy More Youthful Facial Contours from Chicago’s Iteld Plastic Surgery
When you were a kid, your mom probably told you not to make a face, or it would stay that way. Too bad our faces don’t actually stay like when we were younger. If you have watched your youthful, tight skin grow loose and shift downward, leading to hollow cheeks, wobbly jowls, and an overall look you would classify as “older,” you may want to consider a facelift at Chicago’s Iteld Plastic Surgery.
What Mom didn’t know was that changes to your face don’t have to be forever. We have options to reverse the signs of aging.
Before & After Gallery
Meet the real patients and see their results after working with Dr. Iteld and his team at Iteld Plastic Surgery.
About a Facelift
Also known as a rhytidectomy, a facelift is a form of surgery used to create a more youthful appearance by elevating and tightening the sagging tissues around the central and lower parts of the face. The procedure involves removing or repositioning excess skin, getting rid of unwanted fat, and tightening the underlying muscles. Facelift surgery allows patients to restore the youthful shape of their face without having to invest in a time machine—which would probably have a bunch of unintended side effects anyway.
How a Facelift Works
Since changes in facial contours due to aging involve a downward migration of skin, fat, and more, a facelift counters the pull of gravity and time by lifting the tissues into a more youthful position and fixing them in place. Dr. Iteld works from the idea that a face exists in three dimensions—which seems like it should be obvious, but he’s found that not all plastic surgeons approach a facelift with that understanding. By treating the face as something more than a flat image, he customizes the procedure to create a natural, not “over-pulled” look.
In fact, Dr. Iteld actually goes one better and thinks in the fourth dimension—time—by assessing what your unique face looked like in the past and projecting how it will age in the future. He makes his facelift decisions accordingly to create a more youthful look that still looks unmistakably like you and will allow you to age gracefully and beautifully.
To accomplish this, he will make incisions where necessary—camouflaging them in creases and lines where possible. He repositions fat, removes drooping excess skin, and sutures everything to keep it elevated. Dr. Iteld also frequently adds fat to the cheeks to restore volume that is lost as we age.
You’ll be able to see your new facial contours in the mirror after the facelift is done but will probably enjoy them best once you have fully healed.
Contact Us Today
Discover more about facelift surgery from Chicago board-certified plastic surgeon Lawrence Iteld, MD. Send a message online or call 312.757.4505.
Our Unique Pre- and Post-Surgery Procedure
We have created our unique pre- and post surgical protocol with the goal to maximize your results.
Prior to your surgery, we start with an assessment from our aesthetician. She will put you on a personalized skin care routine to prepare your skin for surgery. This usually includes nonsurgical procedures, such as microneedling or chemical peels, and appropriate products. Post-surgery, you’ll continue to meet with her for your skin assessment, product recommendations, and nonsurgical procedures.
MeetLawrence Iteld, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
RealSelf VERIFIED doctor
Lawrence Iteld, MD, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and a highly regarded Chicago based plastic surgeon, receiving awards from Chicago Magazine’s Top Docs, and Castle Connolly Top Doctors®.
Meet Lawrence Iteld, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
RealSelf VERIFIED doctor
Lawrence Iteld, MD, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and a highly regarded Chicago based plastic surgeon, receiving awards from Chicago Magazine’s Top Docs, and Castle Connolly Top Doctors®.
Facelift FAQs
If you’re considering having a facelift, get to know as much as you can about the procedure beforehand. In your consultation with Dr. Iteld, you will discuss your medical history with him, and you may be asked to have a medical exam, facial exam, or lab testing done. He’ll also talk to you about your expectations and goals.
Patients may be advised to quit taking some medications—or at least adjust how they’re taking them. These include blood thinners or anti-inflammatory medications that increase the risk of bleeding. This is to reduce bruising and other complications and side effects from surgery, but health always comes first. Do not stop taking necessary medications without discussing the move with your physician who can potentially work out alternatives or adjustments to your care and allow for the facelift.
Patients who are smokers will be asked to stop several weeks in advance of their surgery, since the chemicals in cigarettes can impair healing. After that, why not keep it up? If you can quit for a while, you can quit for good.
Incisions, contouring techniques, and sutures can lead to mild bruising and swelling in the days after a facelift surgery. This is natural and to be expected, with the effects fading and resolving on their own. Most patients are pleasantly surprised at how easy the recovery from facelift surgery can be—and that it is virtually painless.
After the facelift has been completed, it may take several months before the full results can be seen. Recovery times vary from person to person, depending on their age, health, and personal facelift details. Patients typically feel tired, weak, and uncomfortable during the first few days after facelift surgery.
This is when they will experience swelling, bruising, and numbness. Bandages will be wrapped around the incisions on your head and neck to help keep swelling down, and tubes are placed under the skin for drainage. The swelling typically improves after around one to two weeks.
Surgery does not have to be automatically followed by a painful healing process made bearable with narcotics. Dr. Iteld has worked for years to develop a sophisticated approach that focuses on surgical techniques designed to allow for a recovery that doesn’t require opioids. Most of his facelift surgery patients require little more that Tylenol during their recovery.
Men and women who notice laxity in the mid and lower face or have prominent facial folds and jowls and who want to do something about it are great candidates for a facelift. If you are considering the procedure, you should be in good general health and understand what a facelift will and won’t do. Patients who have pre-existing, underlying health conditions may not always make good candidates as surgery could be too much of a risk or healing could be delayed. Keep in mind that the surgery is intended to alter facial contours, not skin tone.
Ideal candidates for this procedure have still maintained some skin elasticity and flexibility along with a strong, defined facial bone structure. Patients who have to use fillers constantly and find the injectables no longer effective might benefit more from having a facelift.
This surgery is primarily meant for correcting signs of aging on the cheeks, jawline, and neck area. If your main concerns are around the eyes (such as fine lines and bags) or on the forehead, another type of treatment would be more appropriate. And people with fine lines, uneven skin tone, and hyperpigmentation due to sun damage will need treatment that enhances skin quality.
Given the fact that a facelift is for repositioning tissues on the middle and lower portions of the face, patients who want a more youthful look may also consider procedures and treatments for the rest of the face. A brow lift addresses contours above the eyes, while a blepharoplasty corrects drooping and sagging eyelids.
Patients who want to avoid surgery, but who still want to work on their contours, may opt for Silhouette InstaLift™, which repositions midface tissues with injectable threads. Kybella® is another injectable, though it focuses on clearing out fat cells that cause a double chin. FaceTite for nonsurgical skin tightening is especially effective on the jawline and neck, bringing more definition to these important areas.
For wrinkles, BOTOX® and Daxxify can smooth out lines caused by muscle action, while dermal fillers can reduce the appearance of folds caused by volume loss. Let Dr. Iteld and his team help you figure out which approach is best for you.