If you have decided that you want a facelift, you should know there are some important precautions you should take before giving the go-ahead for someone to do surgery on your face. Rushing through the process is not a good idea.
Your first priority is to find a plastic surgeon with a good reputation for being an expert in his or her field, great with his or her hands and for being trustworthy. Choose someone who is a member of the ASPS. These surgeons have to have at least five years of surgical experience and at least two years of plastic surgery experience. They are trained in every type of procedure, practice in accredited facilities, continue to educate themselves and are board certified by the ABPS – American Board of Plastic Surgery.
For your initial consultation, your surgeon will get some background about your health, discuss your options with you, take measurements, get a picture for your records, tell you about the risks and complications and give you information about the anesthesia they will be using.
Before Surgery
Get cleared by your doctor with a full medical work up.
Either take certain kinds of medications, stop taking some medications, or change how you take your prescriptions. (As suggested by your doctor(s))
If you smoke, you MUST stop several weeks before you have facelift surgery. Because of what smoking does to the tissues underneath, a facelift surgery can cause necrosis of the skin (skin death).
Do not take anti-inflammatory drugs or any herbal supplements.
Every instruction given to you by your doctor should be carefully followed.
After the Surgery
It will be a few weeks before you have recovered enough to go back to work. Swelling may last for several months.
When you go out in the sun, stay well protected. What good does it do to have surgery to look younger and then go out and let the sun age your skin?
Watch for possible complications and refer to the information given to you by your doctor. If you have reason to suspect that something is wrong, call the doctor immediately.