Restoring natural beauty. Facelifts more popular with younger women

The wrinkles on Dona’s neck bothered her when she looked in the mirror. She wanted to erase time and look how she felt inside. Dona opted for a facelift.

“I feel great,” said Dona, who is in her 50s. “I had guys stopping me at Home Depot talking to me like I was a 35-year-old. I am not, but what do they know? The doctor made me look brilliant.”

Dona is part of a trend of younger women getting facelifts. Women in their 60s used to be the typical facelift patients, said Dr. Mark Owsley, a board certified plastic surgeon and owner of Owsley Plastic Surgery in Coeur d’Alene.

“Our facelift patients are 10 years younger than they were 20 years ago,” said Owsley. “We are doing a lot of mommy makeovers on women in their 40s. We also have men who want facelifts.”

His practice is experiencing an increase in the total number of facelift procedures over previous years, too.

“We’re busy,” he said. “Spring is a big time of year for facelifts. We’ve already had about half-dozen so far.”

A facelift involves resuspension of the soft tissue of the cheek and neck to its more youthful position, said Owsley, a long-time plastic surgeon. He notes that scars from the surgery are hidden by the scalp and behind the ears.

Facelift is a surgical procedure typically not covered by insurance. Dona said she was a little nervous about her procedure, which was done by Dr. Owsley at Northwest Specialty Hospital in Post Falls.

“I didn’t want to look like a circus clown,” she said. “At first, I looked like I went through a car windshield. It wasn’t pretty. But the swelling goes down and now I don’t have to live with the turkey waddle. I am very happy.”

Selecting a plastic surgeon is not easy and Dona encouraged people to do the research.

“Make sure they specialize in facelifts,” she said. “There’s a big difference between a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon. You don’t want a guy who specializes in butt lifts working on your face. Ask a lot of questions. Dr. Owsley blew me away with his knowledge about the face.”

Dr. Owsley answered some common questions about facelifts.

Has the facelift surgical procedure changed over the past 10 to 20 years?

Our understanding of the anatomy has changed dramatically. Our understanding of facial aging has also changed dramatically over the last 10 years. This has affected the surgical approach to facelift. Twenty years ago we just did skin lifts. We did not do extensive undermining of the soft tissue with its resuspension.

With patients getting younger, does this present any challenges for you as a plastic surgeon?

The younger the patient, the better the quality of the tissue, so the results are longer-lasting and have improved outcomes. Fifteen to 20 years ago, the average facelift patient’s age was 60 to 65 years. Today, we try to perform facelifts on patients who are in the range of 50 to 55 years. As stated above, the quality of the tissue and longevity of the procedure is much improved. 

How much discomfort will the patient feel after the procedure?

Pain is very subjective. On average most patients take narcotics only for two to three days. Facelifts tend to be less painful than most patients perceive.

How long before the swelling goes down?

Swelling can persist over six months. Presentability to the outside world is about 10 to 14 days.

What are common misconceptions about facelifts?

Unfortunately, Hollywood has given a very bad connotation of a facelift. Facelifts should not distort the facial features, they should enhance them. We actually joke about the celebrity facelift at our meetings. A lot of presenters at our meetings show slides of celebrity facelifts on what not to do.

Will a person's friends be able to tell if they had the procedure?

Close friends should be able to notice a difference that is not the result of rest or coming back from vacation. The ideal facelift result should prompt the question: You look very good and well rested. What have you been doing?

-- Written by Marc Stewart, Director of Sponsored Content.

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