drconderman is an ideal choice for your facelift procedure. He is an expert in facial rejuvenation procedures and is double-board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
Dr. Conderman has trained with world-renowned facial plastic surgeon Dr. Russell Kridel and has himself trained numerous medical students, fellows, and residents. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.
Rhytidectomy Benefits
A facelift procedure is an excellent rejuvenation option that can make many patients look 10-15 years younger. When preparing for a facelift, patients can expect:
A more youthful appearance for the mid and lower face and the neck
A reduction in age lines, wrinkles, and folds
Tightening of loose face and neck skin, which restores facial contours
Am I a Good Facelift Candidate?
The best facelift candidates are in their 40s to 60s, though younger and older patients also often come in for this plastic surgery procedure and experience fantastic results. Ideal facelift candidates are in overall good health since those with health issues are more likely to experience complications.
Good rhytidectomy candidates are also non-smokers since smoking can cause a number of complications. If you are a smoker, you will need to quit at least two weeks before the date of your procedure and may need to continue abstaining from smoking after the procedure.
Facelift Techniques
Plastic surgeons offer a number of facelift techniques, like mini facelifts, mid-facelifts, lower facelifts, and even laser facelifts. Dr. Conderman primarily focuses on a revolutionary technique called SMAS plication.
SMAS is an acronym referring to the Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System. The SMAS layer is a fibro-muscular system found beneath the dermis (the connective tissue layer of the skin). Facial plastic surgeons have found that lifting the SMAS layer instead of just the skin leads to more natural-looking results that tend to last longer than skin-only facelift procedures.
Dr. Conderman combines the SMAS plication technique with neck-rejuvenation methods like platysmaplasty (tightening and suturing of the platysmal muscles) and neck liposuction (removal of excess fat through a cannula).
For those interested in facial rejuvenation without surgery, we also have many injectable fillers that we can use to perform a non-surgical facelift technique called the liquid facelift. This minimally invasive option does not require any recovery time; however, a surgical facelift offers longer-lasting results.
What Is a Deep Plane Facelift?
A deep plane facelift focuses on the lower two-thirds of the face. This technique involves a dissection that is below/deep to the SMAS layer. This allows Dr. Conderman to lift both the SMAS and the skin simultaneously. This typically creates a longer-lasting result.
This is due to the fact that a major contributing factor to the formation of wrinkles is muscle movement. Muscles can become stiff over time, and with their continued action on the overlying skin, more permanent facial folds may result.
Is a Deep Plane Facelift Better?
Different facelift techniques are better for different patients depending on their aesthetic needs and goals. The main advantage of a deep plane facelift is that it can result in longer-lasting results that look natural. Recovery time is similar to that of other facelift techniques, as is overall procedure time.
How Long Do Deep Plane Facelift Results Last?
Patients who undergo a deep plane facelift can look forward to their results lasting up to 15 years. There can be some variation depending on the extent of the facial aging. In some cases, patients can even enjoy much longer periods of looking younger.
What Happens During a Facelift?
Anesthesia is the first step in most surgical procedures. For a rhytidectomy, we can use either general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation. Both general anesthesia and conscious or deep sedation allow the patient to be comfortable during the procedure.
Dr. Conderman then carefully makes incisions near the temples that curve around and behind the ears. He creates an incision that is hidden in the hair behind the ear to allow patients to continue to wear their hair up after the procedure. He lifts the skin, and then performs plication on the SMAS layer. Dr. Conderman removes excess drooping skin as needed during this process. To end the procedure, he closes the incisions with both absorbable and non-absorbable sutures.
Swelling and bruising are normal parts of the rhytidectomy healing process. Keeping your head elevated during facelift recovery will help with these issues, as will cold compresses.
Sutures will be removed during a follow-up appointment with Dr. Conderman. At this time, he will examine the patient to ensure that the healing process is going as expected.
Initial results can be seen as soon as the bandages are removed, but the full results of the procedure will not be visible until 2-3 months after surgery. At that time, the majority of swelling will have disappeared. However, some patients will continue to note improvement in minor residual swelling over the course of the subsequent 6-12 months.