The years of youth pass eerily with time, and the wrinkles of time creep up on your once beautiful face, which remains the same, but is no longer beautiful. As we age, some of the natural substances in our bodies are decreasing, these substances include collagen (the main structural protein of the skin), elastin (the protein that makes the tissues stretch), hyaluronic acid (to make the tissues full) and so on. Together with environmental factors (e.g. sun exposure), smoking, and stress, they contribute to the development of wrinkles and folds. More and more people are turning to plastic surgeons in order to make their faces as young as they want them to be, and facial wrinkle reduction (commonly known as facelift) is one of the fastest and most effective ways to do this. What is facelift? Facial wrinkles of a surgical method called facelift, in foreign countries are called “face lift”, is the face and neck skin and its deep surface of the tissue, structure separation, backward and upward lifting and fixation, in order to flatten or eliminate the surface of the wrinkles and folds, so that some parts of the aging of the sagging to be able to change. During the procedure, the surgeon separates your aging skin and subcutaneous tissues, lifts and tightens them upward, removes excess skin, reduces wrinkles, and eliminates sagging skin. The effect of this method is a two-way lift that tightens both the surface skin and the deeper sagging fascia and muscles, correcting many of the tissues associated with aging changes, such as fat, muscle and other deep tissues of the face and neck, while tightening the skin. After undergoing wrinkle reduction, the face and neck can be rejuvenated. For many people, the results of the procedure are long-lasting, and there is a limit to the re-sagging of fat and the re-sloughing of muscle, but the skin can recur to sagging over time. Who is a good candidate for a facelift? Those with the following manifestations are indications for facial wrinkle removal: (1) increased or deepened facial wrinkles, such as the appearance of head lines, crow’s feet, horizontal lines at the root of the nose, longitudinal lines between the eyebrows, etc.; (2) eyebrow sagging, deepening of nasolabial folds; (3) deep wrinkles in the cheeks or sagging cheeks and neck with skin laxity or excessive fatty tissue. For heavier, deeper and larger wrinkles, it is necessary to correct them through wrinkle removal, but it cannot completely correct eyebrow ptosis, excessive upper and lower eyelid skin and fat deposits and nasolabial folds, perioral longitudinal wrinkles, which need to be solved by other cosmetic surgeries, such as brow lifting, blepharoplasty and so on. In addition to this, the age of the patient, general health, motivation and psychological condition are some of the factors that affect the wrinkle reduction procedure. What are the methods of facelift? In order to correct different aging areas, wrinkle removal by area can be divided into frontal wrinkle removal, temporal wrinkle removal, face and neck wrinkle removal and full face wrinkle removal. Different wrinkle reduction procedures can be chosen according to different aging areas. In addition, the hotter ones are endoscopic wrinkle removal and small incision wrinkle removal. Endoscopic wrinkle removal is currently limited to those who do forehead wrinkle removal and have mild to moderate skin laxity. Surgical incisions are chosen to be as hidden as possible. Specifically, the frontal area is 2-3cm behind the hairline or the hairline margin; the temporal area is 2-3cm behind the hairline; and the ear is at the anterior and posterior inferior margins of the ear. Endoscopic wrinkle reduction requires only 3-5 small incisions in the frontal and temporal hairline. Does the surgery hurt? The surgery is performed under anesthesia, which is divided into local anesthesia and general anesthesia, and general assisted analgesia can also be administered after the surgery. How long does the surgery take? Do I need to be hospitalized? The surgery takes about 2-3 hours. For patients with extensive surgery, hospitalization is required for 1 week, followed by 1 week of recovery. After surgery, the area is bandaged for 2-3 days, the stitches are removed in 6-10 days, and the swelling goes down in 2 weeks. How long does it take to recover? The recovery time required after surgery varies greatly from person to person. Post-operative pain is usually not noticeable. Post-operative swelling is most severe 24-48 hours after surgery and gradually decreases thereafter. Bruising usually disappears 2 weeks after surgery. There may be some numbness in the face after surgery, which can last for several weeks or longer. You can usually return to work 2-4 weeks after surgery. Results of the surgery? Generally speaking, facelift surgery is very effective and popular among patients as it can make them look 5-10 years younger after surgery and continue to maintain the rejuvenating effect for 5-10 years. However, it should be emphasized that the surgery can improve the current situation, but it does not mean that the operation can achieve “rejuvenation”, nor can it fundamentally stop the process of facial aging. What are the risks? Common complications include hematoma, scar formation, baldness around the incision, bilateral asymmetry, etc. A serious complication is damage to the facial nerve, resulting in impaired facial sensation and unnatural expressions. Doctor’s advice: Facial wrinkle surgery is a kind of delicate surgery, there are certain risks. Therefore, you must go to a regular hospital and find an experienced doctor to do it.