Serving Knoxville, Sevierville, Knox County & Nearby Areas of Tennessee
What is a Facelift?
Our bodies change as we get older, and the facial region can often be one of the most prominent areas to display signs of aging. If you'd like to reverse these signs of aging in order to look and feel your very best, facial plastic surgery may be the right solution for you. A facelift can take years off of your appearance, providing you with a more youthful, rejuvenated look.
While there are many nonsurgical facial rejuvenation options to help you restore a more youthful appearance, facial plastic surgery remains unparalleled in its ability to achieve highly customizable, long term results. These other options simply can't correct deep set wrinkles and excess loose skin the way a facial surgery can. If you have deep facial folds, jowls or loose skin in the neck region, a facelift can provide beautiful, natural looking results that will help you look significantly younger.
The best way to learn about your options and receive individualized recommendations is to speak with Dr. Dean Kleto in person. Please call 865.524.2442 today to schedule a consultation.
Understanding Facial Aging
The aging process results in three significant changes to your face. Over time, your skin will begin to lose elasticity and its youthful glow. Your body will also change the way fat is stored, resulting in a loss of facial volume. Finally, the tissues of your face will be affected by gravity and start to sag, resulting in:
- Deep creases across the face
- Jowls
- Deep facial folds near the mouth
- Marionette lines (lines that run down from the corners of your mouth)
- Nasolabial folds
- Banding in the neck
- Sagging skin and fat beneath the chin and in the neck
While nonsurgical facial rejuvenation options can restore lost volume and address mild to moderate wrinkles, only a facelift will elevate sagging tissues to correct these other issues.
Am I a Candidate for a Facelift?
Ideal candidates would like to correct one or more of the signs of aging discussed above. However, there are other factors which will impact whether you're a good candidate for a facial plastic surgery. During your consultation, Dr. Kleto will evaluate a variety of factors to determine whether a facelift is the right procedure to achieve your desired outcome. Some of these factors include:
- Loose skin – If you have excess skin on the face or neck, this can be trimmed and removed during a facelift.
- Skin condition – Your facial skin must still be somewhat elastic in order to get good results from a facelift. Elasticity allows your skin to stretch in order to “lift” loose skin and smooth out deep wrinkles and folds.
- Facial structure – It’s important to have a well-defined underlying bone structure in the face in order to support the delicate alterations that Dr. Kleto will make.
- Overall health – You must be free of any major medical conditions and in strong general health before undergoing a facelift.
Remember that a facelift is not meant to make you look like someone else. The goal of every facelift procedure that Dr. Kleto performs is to reveal a younger version of yourself. In addition, it's important to understand that a facelift primarily addresses the middle to lower portion of your face and your neck. If you would also like to reverse signs of aging in the eyes or forehead region, Dr. Kleto may recommend combining your facelift with a brow lift or eyelid surgery in order to achieve the best results.
If you only exhibit the early stages of facial aging, you may want to consider waiting on your facelift. In these situations, you may be able to achieve your desired results with nonsurgical options such as:
Your Customized Procedure
Dr. Kleto understands that no two people have the same exact facial features, and similarly no two people exhibit the exact same signs of facial aging. Therefore, it's crucial that your facelift is truly customized to address these factors that are unique to you. While there are certain techniques that are commonly employed with facelifts, Dr. Kleto will tailor your procedure based on your unique individual needs and goals.
The facelift techniques commonly used by Dr. Kleto include:
- Full Facelift – In a full facelift, Dr. Kleto rejuvenates areas of the face that include the mid-face, lower face and jowls, as well as the neck. Involving the neck is sometimes referred to as a neck lift. Excess skin, muscle and tissue are pulled back into place to create a tighter appearance. This will also help remove wrinkles, sagging jowls and other common signs of aging.
- Mini facelift – A mini facelift targets specific areas that you feel need to be addressed without performing the extensive corrections associated with a full facelift. Areas commonly targeted in a mini facelift include sagging facial skin, neck fat, jowls, and sagging neck muscles. This procedure is somewhat simpler and recovery takes less time. It is a great option if you're starting to experience early signs of aging and don't require a full facelift just yet.
In some instances, Dr. Kleto may also recommend dermal fillers in conjunction to restore lost facial volume. This can provide additional rejuvenation to the facial region for enhanced results.
Dr. Kleto always strives to achieve subtle, natural looking results. Your final outcome will help you look more youthful and refreshed without resulting in an "overdone" appearance.
For additional information about the procedure, please read our Questions about Facelifts page.
What is the Recovery from Facelift Surgery?
Like any surgical procedure, facial plastic surgery will require you to schedule a certain amount of downtime for proper healing and recovery. Dr. Kleto will provide you with detailed post-operative instructions after your procedure. He will also follow up with you in the weeks to come to ensure your recovery is going smoothly.
Immediately after your facelift, you should be able to control any lingering discomfort with a mild pain medication. In case you do end up needing a stronger pain reliever, Dr. Kleto can prescribe one for you. Bruising and swelling are normal during the first two weeks, but will progressively fade over time.
During recovery, be sure you:
- Sleep in an elevated position to help reduce swelling
- Do not use Motrin, Aleve, or any other type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), since these can increase bleeding – stick to Tylenol (acetaminophen) for pain relief
- Avoid excessive sun exposure since this can delay healing
- Do not smoke since this can negatively impact healing and final results
- Avoid exercise and other strenuous activities for at least two weeks
Mild facial numbness is normal and can take a few months to fully go away. Slight swelling may also continue for several months. However, by the six-month mark you should be able to see your final results.
You can safely apply makeup again after about one week.
A facelift affects the most central part of your visible identity. Because of this, it may be awhile before you feel comfortable returning to your social life. Most patients need around three weeks of downtime before they feel confident enough in their appearance to return to work and social activities. However, you may be able to return to "normal life" sooner depending on how you feel.
Why Choose Dr. Kleto
When you select a plastic surgeon for your facelift, you need to be able to trust that person to create the appearance that you will wear for years, possibly the rest of your life. So shouldn’t you take the time to ensure that your facelift surgeon has the experience and training you deserve?
Dr. Kleto is a board certified plastic surgeon. This means that he's undergone extensive post-graduate training, including a residency, in the field of plastic surgery, and he has completed rigorous exams that demonstrate his expertise.
In addition, Dr. Kleto is a member of several prestigious professional organizations, including:
- The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
- The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- The Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
In addition to possessing the training necessary to deliver an exceptional outcome, Dr. Kleto has over 25 years of experience performing facelift procedures for men and women in the Knoxville area. He believes that his results speak for themselves. When you come to our office for your facelift consultation, you can view before and after photos of other facelift patients. You’ll be able to see for yourself the quality of facelift results that you can expect to achieve when you work with Dr. Kleto.
Whether you choose a full facelift or opt for our popular mini option, we’re certain that you’ll find all of the members of our practice to be warm, hospitable, and professional. This is just one of the many ways in which we strive to provide an exceptional experience for all of our patients.
Contact our Knoxville Facelift Surgeon
Please contact Dr. Dean Kleto using the form on this page or call 865.524.2442 today to schedule a facelift consultation. We serve patients in Knoxville, Tennessee.