Facelift

Conveniently located to serve the areas of Atlanta, GA

As a natural part of the aging process, the look and shape of the face change. For example, the skin becomes lax and stops snapping back into place as easy as before. Fat deposits in the face may fall, which can result in cheeks that appear hollow or sag. A facelift (aka rhytidectomy) is a popular plastic surgery procedure that cosmetic surgeons use to address the signs of aging. Atlanta Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Gabriele Miotto offers men and women. The rhytidectomy a patient receives depends on his or her specific needs and aesthetic desires.

Dr. Gabriele Miotto is a Brazilian-American facial plastic surgeon in Atlanta who helps men and women attain a more youthful, refreshed appearance. Dr. Miotto’s experience, skill and artistic vision allow her to provide her patients with subtle, natural-looking rhytidectomy results.

Before and After Photos

Facelift Before & After Patient #881
Facelift Before & After Patient #881
Facelift Before & After Patient #883
Facelift Before & After Patient #883
Facelift Before & After Patient #882
Facelift Before & After Patient #882
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Patient story

This is a very fit female patient in her 60’s who wanted to look refreshed. She exercises daily and had lost a lot of volume in her face. We performed a deep plane face and neck lift to sharpen the jawline and rejuvenate the face and the neck. We also did upper and lower blepharoplasty with a lateral brow lift to open up her look. To improve more her facial volume, we added fat grafting to the eyelids and cheeks. She looks refreshed and completely herself after the surgery, including the same smile.

Issues that Dr. Miotto addresses during a facelift include

  • The marionette lines that run from the corners of the mouth to the chin.
  • The excess skin that accumulates and creates the jowls that develops along the jawline.
  • A double chin.
  • Areas of the face that appear hollow or look as if they have fallen.
  • The nasolabial folds that run from the base of the nose to each corner of the mouth.

Facelift procedures

Dr. Gabriele Miotto recommends the rhytidectomy procedure that she believes will provide her patient with the results he or she desires.

The modern facelift

With a modern rhytidectomy, Dr. Gabriele Miotto addresses the signs of aging throughout the face. The modern facelift is a highly effective facial rejuvenation procedure because Dr. Miotto adjusts the deep structures of the face, returning them to their more youthful positions.

Dr. Miotto also pulls the facial skin back to smooth the wrinkles, lines and folds that develop with age. In addition, she removes excess skin, which helps define the patient’s jawline.

At ME Plastic Surgery, the complete modern facelift also includes a neck lift, platysmaplasty and fat grafting.

The mini-facelift

A mini-facelift focuses on the lower half of the face. During this procedure, the surgeon’s overall goal is to address the lax skin at the jawline and around the neck.

The midface lift

The midface lift addresses facial changes that occur from underneath the patient’s eyes to his or her lips. During this surgery, issues that Dr. Miotto addresses include smile lines, cheeks that look heavy, as well as sagging skin.

Candidate

The typical signs of aging can develop within just a year or two. Sometimes, individuals are unaware of these changes until they look at a photograph that does not seem to represent the way they view themselves. Individuals may notice that their youthful features are no longer present and the signs of aging are well underway. These men and women may be good candidates for a facelift with Dr. Miotto in Atlanta.

A suitable candidate for a rhytidectomy is someone who

  • Has developed the signs of aging (e.g., sagging facial skin, wrinkles).
  • Does not smoke or is willing to stop smoking for 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after surgery.
  • Is in good health.
  • Has a realistic expectation as to what a facelift can accomplish.
  • Wants to address the signs of aging for himself or herself, not for someone else.

If a patient has a complete rhytidectomy, a neck lift is included. Issues Dr. Miotto can address during a neck lift include a turkey neck, excess fat deposits, lax neck muscles, neckbands and a double chin.

Personalized treatment plans

Since each patient is unique, Dr. Miotto creates personalized cosmetic surgery plans. By creating custom-designed rhytidectomy plans for her patients, their results look natural. After recovering from their facelift, patients appear refreshed and more youthful.

Facelift Contour Preservation

Dr. Gabriele Miotto strategically places incisions in areas where they remain hidden, but will not place tension on the skin. If a surgeon neglects to consider these issues, the patient’s face may have the pulled-back look.

Consultation

During this consultation, patients need to provide Dr. Miotto with details about their medical history, including previous surgical procedures, health conditions, allergies and current medications. She also needs to know if the individual takes any herbal supplements.

Tips to help patients convey the changes they desire

In order to provide patients with the aesthetic results they desire, Dr. Gabriele Miotto must know what those desires are. People who are considering a facelift may find it helpful to use a mirror to determine what they would like the surgeon to address during their facelift. Taking notes to bring to their initial consultation can help them convey their desires to Dr. Miotto.

At the consultation, Dr. Gabriele Miotto takes several photos

Another method that helps patients is the photos that Dr. Miotto takes during their initial consultation. She takes these photos from different angles. By viewing these photos, the patient can easily explain what he or she would like the surgeon to address during the facelift procedure. For comparison purposes, these photos also serve as the patient’s set of before photos. Dr. Miotto will also examine the patient’s face.

The patient receives a recommendation

Once Dr. Miotto understands which issues the patient would like her to address, she determines which type of facelift will serve the individual best. If a different procedure or a combination of procedures can provide the results an individual desires, she discusses these options at the consultation as well.

Bring a list of questions to this initial consultation

ME Plastic Surgery recommends that prospective patients ask questions. Some find it helpful to create a list of questions to bring with them to their facelift consultation in Atlanta. Questions are encouraged because Dr. Gabriele Miotto believes that patients who have details about the procedures they are having or considering to have can make better choices and feel more comfortable before their cosmetic procedure.

Surgery Day Details

A rhytidectomy usually takes from 3 to 6 hours. Surgery length depends on the number of procedures a patient is having Dr. Miotto perform during his or her surgical session.

Since patients receive general anesthesia during their facelift in Atlanta, they must refrain from driving for at least 24 hours. Due to this restriction, patients need to arrive with a licensed driver on the day of their procedure. Patients who neglect to bring a driver will need to reschedule their rhytidectomy.

In addition, Dr. Miotto’s rhytidectomy patients need to have someone remain with them as a caregiver for at least 24 hours after their surgery.

Suture removal

Dr. Gabriele Miotto removes the sutures at some point between 7 and 10 days of surgery.

Recovery expectations

Following a complete modern facelift, patients should expect mild discomfort and a tight feeling in the areas addressed during their surgery. These symptoms result from the inflammation and bruising that develop following surgery, which can last from a few days to several weeks. Nonetheless, Dr. Miotto provides her patients with supplements and medication to ease these symptoms. Patients need to keep their head elevated. During sleep, patients must use extra pillows to keep their head elevated. In addition, patients can use cryotherapy to decrease the swelling and bruising, which reduces discomfort.

Post-surgery self-care

During the first 3 weeks of recovery, patients can reduce their risk of experiencing a complication.

To reduce the risk of a complication, patients must

  • Follow the wound-care instructions they receive after surgery.
  • Wear tops that fasten in the front.
  • Do not pick at the scabs that develop on their incisions.
  • Follow the shampooing and soap instructions Dr. Miotto and her staff provide.
  • Do not use any products on their face until Dr. Gabriele Miotto releases them to do so.
  • Use the shampoo and soap that Dr. Miotto recommends.
  • Avoid placing excessive pressure on or around their incisions.
  • Do not participate in vigorous activity (e.g., aerobic exercise, sports).
  • Avoid bleaching, coloring or perming their hair for at least 6 weeks.
  • Do not expose their incisions to direct UV light (e.g., the sun or tanning beds) for at least 3 weeks.

After the initial 3 weeks, patients need to apply a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.

Most patients can return to their daily routine at the 2-to-3 week mark.

Patients who have an upcoming social event need to have their rhytidectomy about 2 months in advance. This gives their body the time necessary to heal.

Dr. Gabriele C. Miotto is a Brazillian-American plastic surgeon specialized in aesthetic surgery and minimally invasive procedures, specially of the face, eyes, nose, breast and liposuction. Call (404) 850-5851 for your consultation.

FAQ

Is there anyone who is not a good candidate for facelift surgery?

Yes, there are certain conditions and lifestyle habits that can increase the likelihood of an individual experiencing a complication.

Dr. Miotto may recommend a less invasive procedure for patients who:

– Take prescription medications to thin the blood. These medications increase the likelihood that a patient will develop a hematoma following surgery.
– Medical conditions that negatively affect the ability of the blood to clot, as well as conditions that increase a patient’s risk of poor wound healing or heart complications. These conditions include high blood pressure and poorly controlled diabetes.
– Since the shape of the face changes when an individual gains or loses weight, people who frequently experience weight changes may not enjoy the long-term benefits associated with a facelift.
Men and women who smoke and will not stop smoking for the 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after their facelift in Atlanta. Discontinuing smoking is vital to the recovery process because nicotine increases the risk of open wounds, necrosis and skin loss due to poor circulation.

How long do the results of a facelift last?

The results Dr. Miotto achieves with a rhytidectomy usually last 10 years. Once 10 years have passed, the patient may be eligible to have another facial rejuvenation procedure.

Are there any risks associated with facelift surgery?

Although permanent or long-term complications following a rhytidectomy in Atlanta, are rare, patients must always consider the risks associated with surgical procedures.

Potential complications include:

– A hematoma, which is a collection of blood that pools beneath the skin, is the most common complication following a rhytidectomy. Hematomas typically form within 24 hours; prompt treatment can prevent damage to the tissues and skin.
– An injury to a facial nerve is rare, but it can result in a loss of feeling or the inability to move a particular muscle in the face. These effects can be temporary or permanent, causing the individual to have an uneven expression or an asymmetrical facial appearance. Sometimes, surgery can resolve these issues.
– Dr. Miotto hides her patients’ rhytidectomy incisions in the natural contours of the face and ear, as well as in the hairline. However, while rare, visible scarring can occur if a patient develops keloid scars (i.e., raised scars). – – – – Unless an individual already has keloid scars elsewhere, there is no way to know which patients will develop these scars. Nonetheless, corticosteroid injections or another treatment may be able to improve scarring.
– Temporary or permanent hair loss may occur at the incision sites within the hairline. If permanent, a hair transplant in these areas can resolve this problem.
– Necrosis resulting in skin loss can occur when there is an interruption in the blood supply to an area.
– A negative reaction to general anesthesia.
– A blood clot. This complication is directly linked to general anesthesia. Patients can reduce their risk of experiencing a blood clot by walking around periodically after surgery.

How much will a rhytidectomy cost?

Every patient is unique, which is why Dr. Miotto creates individualized treatment plans. She can determine how much an individual’s facelift will cost during an initial consultation at ME Plastic Surgery.

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