Video: Facelift Rejuvenation Surgery With Dr. Cameron Craven
With so many facial rejuvenation options available, it’s quite easy to become overwhelmed with information. In this video Dr. Cameron Craven, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, describes what to expect with the general process of facial rejuvenation surgery – before, during, and after your procedure.
Video Transcript
Hi, my name is Cameron Craven and I’m a plastic surgeon at Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery at our Westlake location. Today we’ll be talking about facial rejuvenation procedures.
The basic process for patients seeking facial rejuvenation surgery starts with setting up an appointment with myself or one of our cosmetic consultants. During this appointment we will talk about the patient’s specific goals and they can view before and after photos of previous patients with similar cases. Pricing will also be discussed at this time.
Following the initial consultation, the patient would be scheduled for a pre-operative visit with myself and one of my nurses so we can go over the patient’s health history, current medications they may be taking, and take their vital signs. A full physical exam is done at this time to ensure the patient’s candidacy for the procedure.
We also make sure that the patient has realistic expectations about the potential results achieved through their chosen procedure. This talk ensures that I fully understand what the patient’s goals are so that we can meet each other’s expectations. Once we are aligned in terms of the treatment plan, the patient will be able to book their surgery.
On the day of surgery, the patient will come in and be photographed. We will then place any preoperative surgical markings. The patient will either then be anesthetized using local anesthesia, or if we are doing a procedure that requires general anesthesia, our anesthesiologist will place under general anesthesia.
Facial rejuvenation procedures typically take around 2-3 hours to be performed. That is a procedure such as a neck lift that just address the lower face. If we are doing other procedures (like a brow lift or blepharoplasty) in conjunction with the facial rejuvenation surgery it can take as long as 5-6 hours.
After the procedure, patients who were placed under general anesthesia are taken to a recovery room for a short period, while patients who underwent local anesthesia can be immediately discharged. I mostly perform procedures under local anesthesia with a little bit of IV sedation so that the patient does not have so much narcotic, which leads to less nausea and an easier postoperative recovery in the immediate hours after surgery.
Most patients will need to attend a follow up visit at our office the day after their surgery, at which time the dressings will be changed. They may also need to be seen one week after surgery when their sutures will be removed. Various additional appointments may be required based on the patient’s immediate needs. Final “after” pictures typically will be taken anywhere from eight weeks to six months after surgery so we allow sufficient time for the swelling to subside and for the scar tissue to mature.
The best way to maintain your results after a facial rejuvenation procedure is to exercise sound sun protection (including always wearing sunscreen), as well as to talk to your provider about various options of products that may be beneficial to you.
Hopefully this helps you to better understand facial rejuvenation surgery and the various options available. Thanks for watching!
A united group of skin care specialists from Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, Austin's leader in Dermatology and Plastic Surgery. Articles posted under WD staff are authored through combined contributions from our entire team, including Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists, Aestheticians, Physician Assistants, Aesthetic Nurses, and Patient Coordinators.