Facelift

A face lift or facelift, also known as a rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure used to rejuvenate and improve the appearance of your face.   Dr. Windle uses:

• Short Scar Incisions
• Rapid Recovery Protocols

A facelift or rhitidectomy is:

• Primarily used to correct jowls and the neck wattle (turkey neck) for a more defined jaw, smoother neck and contoured cheek.
• Used to help correct the deep creases that may form between the nose and mouth, the nasolabial folds or smile lines. This is done by removing excess fat, tightening underlying muscles, and the skin of your face and neck.
• A facelift does not improve the upper and lower eyelids, the lines of the lips or the brow.

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Visit  Dr. Windle’s Facelift Photo Gallery

Face lift Video FAQ’s

Facial Rejuvenation Links:

Mini Facelift        Lifestyle Lift®        Quick Lift®        Thread Lift       Feather Lift

Neck Lift       Neck Liposuction          Eyelid Lift       Brow Lift        Chin Implant

Rhinoplasty        Fat Grafting (Fat Transfer)        Fillers        Botox      Non Surgical Face Lift

The goals

Improved or more youthful appearance of the face by correcting deep wrinkles or folds, removing excess fat and loose skin at the jawline and neck, adding definition to the cheeks and re-contouring the chin.

Most say that a facelift will last 10 years but in fact a facelift will last a lifetime!!

BUT we cannot stop the aging process but you will always look better than if you did not have a facelift.

The alternatives include a mini facelift, liposuction of the jowls and neck and fillers to achieve your desired results depending upon the degree of age -related changes that are present.

Liposuction, tightening of the neck muscles, fat grafting or transfers and can also be done at the same time if indicated.

Facelift cost

A facelift varies in cost depending upon what needs to be done to achieve your goals.  It can be about $7,500 for a simple mini lift or Lifestyle Lift® and over $20,000 for a complex face lift that requires a lot of time and complex procedures to get the desired result.  According to the statistics the average cost of a facelift in Seattle is $14,500.

The challenges

What a facelift will not do is:

• Stop the aging process
• Improve fine wrinkles
• Improve pigmentation problems
• Remove deep wrinkles and skin folds completely.
• Special Considerations

Things that are carefully considered in your evaluation are:

• Your hair pattern and thickness.
• Any previous surgical scars.
• Your skin elasticity, thickness, texture and color.
• The underlying bone structure of your face, including your profile to decide if chin or cheek augmentation would enhance the structural definition of your face and give you an improved result.

Other adjunctive procedures are also considered such as:

• Laser resurfacing and chemical peels.
• Injectable fillers.
• BOTOX injections.
• Micro-needling.

How Long Does a Facelift Surgery Take?

Typical facelift surgery takes between 3 and 4 hours, depending on the extent of the procedure.  The entire procedure will be discussed fully by Dr. Windle during your consultation.

What Type of Anesthesia is Used?

Usually conscious sedation is used and facelift patients are usually discharged right after the procedure with a light dressing that is removed the next day.

How Long is the Facelift Recovery?

Recovery time varies, but it is usually 1 to 2 weeks.  After one day, you will be able to get in a shower, wash your hair and put makeup on.  Out to dinner the next night is possible but you will be swollen and bruised.

When can you execise after a facelift?

Vigorous activities resumed within a couple of days of your facelift surgery.

Are there risks?

As with any operation, there are risks with a facelift.  These include:

• Hematoma or blood clot formation
• Injury to the nerves that control the facial muscles.
• Infection, or reactions to anesthesia.
• Smoking or exposure to cigarette smoke (even just once in the days prior or three weeks after) can result in a slower postoperative healing time and cause significant complications.

The vast majority of men and women do not experience any of these complications. You need to discuss these issues with Dr. Windle prior to your surgery to be sure you completely understand the basic risks along with any other special risks that may be involved.

Are you a candidate for a face lift?

The best candidates for this procedure are men and women:

• Whose face and neck have begun to sag or deflate but who still have some elasticity and whose bone structure is strong and well defined.
• A face lift can make you look younger and may enhance your self-confidence.
• The goal is a natural look that makes you look refreshed or rested.

What does the consultation consist of?

At your initial consultation, Dr. Windle will:

Evaluate your general health.

Examine your face, the condition of your skin and your underlying soft tissue and bone structure.

Explain the alternatives or options that are available to you.

Review the procedure of a facelift to you along with the risks of the procedure.

Discuss anesthesia, the estimated length of your surgery, and what your healing period will be like.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have.  Dr. Windle wants to be sure you have a complete understanding of the information given to you so you can make a decision which is right for you.

From that point, you will meet with our patient care coordinator who will give you the exact price quote for your facelift.   We accept cash, checks, money orders, VISA, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover and offer Care Credit of financing is desired.

You may want to schedule your procedure at this visit or you can contact our surgery scheduling department at any time.  At the end of your visit, the patient care coordinator can answer any additional questions you may have thought of, or you can meet again with your surgeon.

What will I need to do to prepare for surgery?

Once your surgery is scheduled, you will be given specific instructions to prepare for your surgery.   You will be given guidelines on eating, drinking, smoking, and taking/avoiding certain medications or vitamins.  If you do smoke, you should plan to quit at least 2 weeks prior to your surgery and not to start again for at least 4 weeks after your surgery. You will also need to arrange for someone to pick you up from the surgery because you will not be able to drive home after recently having anesthesia.

How is the surgery performed?

Depending on Dr. Windle’s recommendation, you will either be given the option of a mini-facelift or a standard facelift.  There are also other options such as a minimal incision facelift that he may suggest.  These procedures are similar, if not identical to the procedures done at Lifestyle Lift® or QuickLift®.  At your initial consultation, Dr. Windle will explain to you which procedure you are a candidate for after he examines you.

Incisions usually begin at the hairline in the temple area and extend in a natural line in front of the ear and continue behind the earlobe to the lower scalp.  If the neck needs work also, a small incision may be made under the chin.

Dr. Windle will separate the skin from the fat and muscle below.  The fat may either be trimmed or suctioned from around the neck and chin to improve the contour.  He will then tighten the underlying muscle and fascia or supporting structures, pull the skin back, and remove any excess.

Stitches will be placed in secure layers of tissue and close the incisions.  A drainage tube may be placed behind the ear to help get rid of extra fluid that may collect there.

What will the healing period consist of?

The recovery period following a face lift will consist of some numbness, swelling, and bruising in the face.  If you can keep your head elevated for a couple of weeks, this will help to decrease the swelling.

You will need to be gentle with your face and hair since your skin will be tender and numb and may not respond normally at first.  Some bruising may persist for two to three weeks.  By the third week, you will look and feel much better.  Most patients are back at work about 10-14 days after surgery.  Our skin care specialist is available to teach you how to use camouflage makeup that we have available to cover any bruising you still might have.

You will have some scars from your facelift but the majority will be hidden in your hair and the rest will be placed in the natural creases of your face and ears.  In time, they will fade and be scarcely visible.

Final Comments

Choosing to have a face lift is a very personal decision that needs to be thought through carefully to be sure this is what you want and you also need to have a complete understanding of what a realistic expectation is.   

This surgery can boost self-confidence and the result can be very satisfying.

For any further information, questions, or to schedule a consultation, please contact us at our practice near Kirkland, Bothell, Woodinville, Snohomish, Everett, Edmonds, North Seattle, Kent, Mercer Island, Renton, Sammamish, Bremerton, Burien, Federal Way, Tacoma, Munroe, Maple Valley, Shoreline, Burien, Lynnwood, Seattle, Issaquah, West Seattle, North Bend, Des Moines, Bellevue, Redmond, Mill Creek, Auburn, Marysville, West Seattle, Ellensburg at:

(425) 366-8222

Facelift Video FAQs

How long will a facelift last?

Facelifts are commonly thought to last 10 years but in essence they will last a life time.  However, the results will mature with you.

The studies done on facelift longevity show that usually the results are usually maintained for about 5 years.  After that, your facelift result will not look quite as good as it did early on because of aging.

If we roll the clock back 5 or 10 years with any surgical facial rejuvenation procedure, the result will continue on for your life.  In other words, if your facelift took 5 years off your look when you were 50 then when you are 75 you will still look 5 years younger.

Do I Need a Facelift or Filler or Both?

As we age we lose volume or get smaller.  In the face this includes bone, fat, muscle and skin thickness.  We also lose elasticity in our skin due to simple aging, sun damage, cigarette smoke, poor diet and the continued effects of gravity pulling things down.

The solution to all of this depends upon the correct application of one or some of the following:

• Filler to replace the lost volume including:
  • Fat transfers which can be somewhat unpredictable.
  • Short term fillers like Juvederm, Restylane and Belotero.
  • Medium term fillers like Sculptra, Juvederm Voluma and Radiesse.
  • Long term fillers like Artefill.
• Tightening of the skin with:
  • Medical grade skin care.
  • Laser skin tightening.
  • Chemical peels.
  • Surgical removal of skin and repositioning of the underlying structures through a facelift (full or mini) and possibly a neck lift.

The answer is that sometimes we need to add volume, sometimes we need to tighten the skin and often we need to do both.