While it is impossible to stop the aging process in its tracks, facelifts can help to slow it down and provide patients with an instantly more youthful appearance. Traditional facelifts will help to reduce the look of sagging skin that is a result of many years of muscle fatigue and fat tissue migration. Endoscopic facelifts are more recent addition to the tools and procedures that plastic surgeons have at their disposal. Depending on the particular needs and facial structure of a patient, a traditional facelift might still be the best option. However, many patients are now seeing great results from the endoscopic procedure.

What areas of the face do the two methods target?

This is probably the biggest difference between the two facelift surgery options. Traditional facelifts will generally target the lower portion of the face to help promote neck jowl lift, as well as improving the appearance of the cheeks and chin. These are the areas that a lot of patients that are hoping to have a facelift surgery want to see corrected. An endoscopic facelift surgery will give the surgeon the ability to work on more areas of the face than a traditional facelift. This can allow for a mid face lift surgery and the area between the eyebrows. This greater flexibility in this method of facelift surgery has proven very successful.

Endoscopic facelifts use smaller incisions.

In addition to the areas of the face that the two procedures can reach effectively, another advantage of the endoscopic method is that the facelift surgery requires smaller and fewer incisions than the traditional method. The incisions only need to be large enough for the surgeon to be able to thread

What is the recovery period for both the endoscopic facelift and traditional facelift?

Recovery is a very important part of any plastic surgery. The patient will have to pay close attention to the instructions provided by the plastic surgery and their team. In order to see the best possible results from any cosmetic procedure strict adherence to the guidelines is crucial. The endoscopic facelift is considerably less invasive than a traditional facelift surgery, however, this does not mean that the recovery period is any less important. One to two weeks off work is advised so that you can fully recover from the procedure. Heavy physical activity should be avoided until the swelling has fully subsided.

There are a few other considerations to bear in mud during the recovery period as well. For example, if you regularly colour your hair, you should consider waiting a few weeks after the surgery before doing this again. For men, shaving should be avoided for a week or two after the facelift surgery is performed as well.

What makes someone eligible for a facelift?

A facelift will help combat the signs of aging, so really anyone who wants to take years of their appearance is potentially a good candidate. Generally speaking endoscopic facelifts are for those patients who have the earlier signs of aging. Whereas traditional facelifts can combat more advanced signs of aging. The first step is to have a consultation with a plastic surgeon in New York City to see what your options are and how the procedure can be tailored to suit your specific needs.

If you are on any medications or have any chronic health problems a surgeon will need to know about them and they will be able to highlight any areas of concern. One of the biggest things that a patient has control over that can have a negative impact on their candidacy is smoking. Smoking constricts the blood flow and can cause complications during the healing process. The majority of surgeons will want patients to have stopped smoking in the weeks prior and weeks after the surgery. Smoking also causes premature aging of the skin, so if you are hoping to look younger and stay looking younger, quitting entirely might be the best option anyway. There is also a lot of seemingly innocuous medications that need to be avoided ahead of the surgery such as aspirin and any other blood thinners. Your surgeon will be able to supply you with a list of medications to avoid in the weeks leading up to your facelift surgery.