Facelift
A facelift is the most common surgical procedure at Dr. Konstantin’s New York City facial plastic surgery practice, and it is considered to be the gold standard of facial rejuvenation. The facelift creates a younger appearance of the face by reducing the amount of loose skin and restoring youthful facial contour. Often, this procedure can take off 10 or even 15 years from someone’s face. Modern facelift techniques can achieve these results without altering the actual unique character of the face, making someone look natural and unoperated-upon.
Preparing for a Facelift
If you’re wondering about having a facelift, you’re probably doing a lot of research and asking yourself the best way to prepare for this procedure to get the most out of it. There are many things to take into consideration, and often it gets a bit overwhelming and even confusing. The best way to figure things out is to discuss all the questions and concerns with your surgeon. You should have the doctor explain what it entails, including all the pitfalls and advantages of the procedure. Once you’ve determined that you are a good candidate for the surgery, it is time to make sure that your body is in the best possible shape. When you are in good physical condition, the surgery is more likely to go smoothly.
Assuming you are in good health, the healing from the procedure should be relatively quick, while the results of your surgery will make you look years younger. However, many variables could affect the outcome of your procedure. Being aware of these variables will go a long way in helping you prepare for your surgery. One of the major factors that can interfere with the results of the surgery is your body weight or, to be more accurate, the fluctuations in your body weight. This fluctuation is quite normal and happens to most people.
Weight Loss
Whether you are losing weight prior to surgery or looking to shed some pounds for health reasons, the benefits of being at a healthy weight and keeping fit are evident. The good news is that even moderate weight loss is good weight loss and good for your health.
According to the article, What Is Healthy Weight Loss? by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “It’s about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits.”
By maintaining a lower weight, you gain so much more, including increased energy levels, better mood, better physical mobility, and a better sense of self-confidence, the article noted. Most people are likely to keep off weight when they combine healthy eating with some type of moderate physical activity that they can maintain throughout the week.
Let Your Surgeon Know Your Weight Loss Plans
The changes in your body weight are an important consideration that should not be overlooked when planning your facelift procedure. If you have plans to lose some weight, you should let your surgeon know about it. This could determine whether the surgery should be scheduled prior to your weight loss or postponed until your desired weight is achieved. Your surgeon might want to know how much weight you want to lose and may offer advice about the most optimal approach to the timing of your facial rejuvenation. But having said that, if you are in the process of losing weight, don’t be concerned too much about having to reschedule since most likely your surgeon will give the go-ahead.
The Perks of Losing Weight Before Surgery
It is true that weight fluctuations often affect the appearance of the face quite a bit. Also, when someone loses weight, the skin might become loose and the entire face might appear to sag. Of course, all of those unpleasant changes could be improved or even completely eliminated with a facelift, thus giving a good reason to postpone the procedure until the weight loss is complete.
The Disadvantages of Losing Weight Before Surgery
However, there is also a downside to losing too much weight before the facelift since liposuction (removal of the fat) is an essential part of the facelift procedure. Therefore if someone loses an excessive amount of weight prior to the procedure, then less fat will be removed during the procedure. This might lead to a return of the fullness under the chin in the future. It would not be a problem if you are able to keep down your weight. In other words, if you are able to maintain that weight loss after the facelift, the result would persist. However, if you return to the original weight, the fullness under the chin might return. This in turn would negatively affect your overall look.
Dr. Konstantin’s Recommendations
A general recommendation is to try to maintain a stable weight around the time of your facelift. If you are planning to lose 10, 15 or even 20 pounds it might be OK to do so either before or after your facelift surgery. However, if you are planning a weight loss that is more substantial than that and planning to lose over 20 pounds, then more likely than not your doctor would advise you to do so before scheduling your procedure.
No matter what you decide regarding your weight loss, please remember that getting a facelift is an important step in maintaining your youthful look. Along with choosing a great facial plastic surgeon here in NYC, being mindful about your body weight before and after surgery will help ensure that you achieve maximal results.
If you’re ready to explore whether a facelift is right for you, call my Manhattan office at (212) 380-3634 or use our online form to request a consultation.
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