What Are the Risks Associate with Facelift Surgery?

    TAMPA, FL, August 13, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Facelift is a surgical procedure, and therefore carries a number of general surgical risks in addition to its specific risks. In particular, patients should always be aware of the risks associated with general anesthesia, such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and death. To minimize these risks, it is important to work with a plastic surgeon who understands the risks of anesthesia and takes appropriate preventative measures to reduce them.

Some of the other risks associated with facelift surgery include:

- Hematoma
- Nerve injury
- Skin sloughing and necrosis
- Infection
- Unfavorable cosmetic result

The rates of these complications vary, and it is hard to find reliable estimates of their rates. The rates below are estimates.

Hematoma

Hematoma (excess bleeding under the skin) is one of the most commonly-reported complication of facelift surgery. The rate of this complication varies from 4% for women to 8% for men. A hematoma can be simply additional bruising that may take a significant time to resolve or it can be a blood-filled pocket that must be surgically drained.

Nerve Injury

Nerve injury is probably the most serious potential complication of facelift surgery. The estimates of nerve injury rates range from less than 1% to 3%. Even if this complication has a low rate, up to 20% of these injuries may require secondary surgery to correct or may result in permanent paralysis, numbness, or pain. Depending on the type of facelift, this may include paralysis or numbness in the forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, ear, or other portions of the face.

Skin Sloughing and Necrosis

In some cases, your skin may not survive relocation as part of the facelift. When this occurs, your skin will fall off or die on your face. Smokers are at a significantly increased risk for this complication, and it is important that people temporarily quit smoking before and after a facelift to reduce their risk. A surgeon may inadvertently cause this complication by putting too much tension on the skin during a skin-only facelift. This can be a secondary complication following hematoma.

Unfavorable Cosmetic Results

There are, unfortunately, a number of ways that a surgeon can give you a facelift result that looks unattractive. This includes:

- An unnatural or windswept appearance
- Visible scars
- Tragus deformity and "pixie ear"
- Movement of the hairline
- Imbalanced or uneven facial contouring
- Hair loss at incision sites

The rates of these poor cosmetic results are not available, in part because not all people who receive them recognize or report them.

Reducing Risks

There is no way to completely avoid the risks associated with facelift surgery, but you can reduce your risk of suffering them by working with a board-certified plastic surgeon whose skill you trust. You should talk to the surgeon about risks, about how they are avoided and the incidence of complications in their experience. Listen carefully to their answer to see whether you feel they are telling you the truth, and if they say they have never experienced particular complications, make sure that this is not simply because they have not performed very many facelifts.

Be sure to first evaluate a surgeon's before and after gallery to see whether you think the surgeon's best work seems like it will give you the results you desire. In addition, you should ask to see more before and after images during your consultation with any potential surgeon. They are likely to have more images you can look at in their office and these images are less likely to be digitally altered to make the results look better.

If you are interested in a facelift surgery in the Tampa area, please visit the website of Gayoso Plastic Surgery to learn more at www.gayosoplasticsurgery.com.

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