Facelift

Facelift Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas with Dr. SpannBefore and after images showcasing a facelift procedure performed by Dr. Michael Spann, illustrating significant improvement in facial contour and skin tightness on an actual patient.

Over time, gravity, sun damage, and daily stress significantly impact the appearance of our faces and necks. Deep wrinkles form around the mouth, the jawline loses definition and develops jowls, and the neck acquires loose, sagging skin with unwanted fat deposits. A facelift, or rhytidectomy, effectively reverses these visible signs of aging, tightening facial muscles, removing excess fat, and trimming loose skin for a refreshed, youthful appearance. Many patients of Dr. Spann experience results that make them look 10 to 15 years younger.

Facelift procedures by Dr. Spann primarily address aging in the mid-to-lower face and neck. A facelift can significantly improve conditions such as:

  • Sagging in the midface area
  • Deep creases under the eyes
  • Pronounced lines between the nose and mouth (nasolabial folds)
  • Jowls resulting from decreased muscle tone
  • Loose, sagging skin under the chin and jawline
  • Accumulation of excess fat in the lower face and neck

While facelifts deliver impressive rejuvenation, they do not halt the natural aging process. Over time, signs of aging may gradually return, although patients typically continue to look younger than if they’d never undergone surgery.

Facelifts alone do not rejuvenate the upper face, including the brows, eyelids, or nasal region. Patients desiring comprehensive facial rejuvenation often combine a facelift with other procedures performed by Dr. Spann, such as a brow lift or eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty). Additionally, treatments such as injectable dermal fillers, facial implants, or skin resurfacing can further enhance facelift results.

Ideal Candidates for a Facelift with Dr. Spann

Candidates best suited for facelift surgery typically:

  • Are experiencing visible facial sagging and skin laxity
  • Maintain some degree of skin elasticity
  • Are in good overall health
  • Do not smoke or are willing to stop smoking prior to surgery
  • Have realistic expectations about results
  • Choose to undergo the procedure for their own satisfaction, not due to external pressure

During your personal consultation, Dr. Spann will assess your unique facial structure and goals to determine if a facelift is appropriate for you.

Facelift Procedure Techniques

Facelift surgery with Dr. Spann in Little Rock and Fayetteville is commonly an outpatient procedure performed in a fully accredited surgery center, hospital, or office-based surgical suite. Patients typically choose between IV sedation or general anesthesia. Most facelifts are completed within approximately two hours.

Surgical techniques vary based on individual facial anatomy, desired results, and Dr. Spann’s recommendations. The three most common incision approaches for facelift surgery include:

  • Traditional Facelift: Incisions around the hairline, temple, ears, and lower scalp
  • Limited Incision Facelift (Mini Facelift): Shorter incisions around the ears for less extensive correction
  • Neck Lift: Targeted incisions under the chin and behind the ears specifically addressing sagging neck tissue and fat

Dr. Spann will explain the best approach based on your specific needs, ensuring natural-looking, personalized results.

Traditional Facelift
The “full” facelift for rejuvenating the face, jowls and neck, including fat sculpting, lifting and repositioning of muscle and deeper tissues, and skin trimming and redraping. The incision begins at the temples and travels down to the front of the ear, around the earlobe, and behind the ear to the lower scalp at the hairline. Sometimes, another incision is made under the chin.
Limited-Incision Facelift
For limited rejuvenation around the eyes and mouth, including nasolabial folds and other deep creases. Short incisions are made at the temples and around the ear, and possibly in the lower eyelids and/or under the upper lip as well.
Neck Lift
A neck lift concentrates on jowls, loose skin on the neck, and fat under the chin. The incision is made around the ear lobe and behind the ear to the lower scalp.

In all three methods, incisions are closed with stitches or tissue glue. Scars are hidden in the hairline and natural contours of the face.

After your rhytidectomy, your doctor will wrap the incisions in bandages and may place drainage tubes in the area. The tubes will be taken out the next day, when your hair will be carefully washed. If surgical clips are used to hold the incisions closed, they will be removed one week after the facelift along with your stitches.

At first, you may experience swelling, numbness, bruising, and a feeling of tightness or tension in the face and neck. Your face may look uneven or distorted, and your facial muscles may feel stiff. Most of these usually resolve within 3-6 weeks, and sensation typically returns to normal within a few months. Scars become less red, raised, lumpy or itchy in time.

Many patients return to work by the third week. Camouflage cosmetics can be used to minimize the appearance of bruising.

Results of a facelift do not last forever. You may want to have another procedure in five or ten years. But in another sense, the effects are permanent; years later, your face will continue to look better than if you had never had a facelift.
Possible complications of facelift include: bleeding, infection, bruising, uneven swelling or discoloration, allergic reaction to the anesthesia, skin blistering (usually only seen in smokers), and temporary or permanent loss of sensation in the face. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of a facelift with you before your surgery.

Michael Spann, MD