The Neck lift improves and firms up the neck, removes excess fatty tissue and firms up muscles and skin.
Your face tells the world who you are and how you are feeling. Aesthetic surgery can contribute considerably toward bringing true harmony between how you feel inside and your external appearance. The facelift (rhytidectomy) is one of Dr. Knutti's foremost specialities and an operation whose many variants he masters fully, as one of the world's top lecturers on the subject. Over the past 20 years, he has developed a number of new technics to allow this important facial procedure to remain as perfect as it is natural. In collaboration with other experts from the USA, France and Australia, he has developed new and highly effective surgical methods. Ask Dr. Knutti what procedures are available to counter signs of ageing that are troubling you, and he will explain the various possibilities available, both surgical and non-surgical in nature. Here are a few details and answers to some of the most common questions, regarding the procedures available at our clinic.
A neck lift operation brings back a younger appearance to a person, with a fresher expression. Thanks to the many new technics in aesthetic surgery, results today are much more natural than in the past. Each patient now receives truly personalised treatment adapted to their own needs. Often, the surgery can be performed in a very non-invasive way as well, allowing the patient to return to their everyday life after just a few days of convalescence. The results and improvements can then be counted on to last at least for 10 years or more.
A facelift is the ideal solution for those individuals showing medium to extensive signs of ageing, including relatively deep wrinkles or sagging skin. Bags under the eyes or drooping eyelids can often be corrected at the same time.
The first step involves simply contacting the clinic to make an appointment with Dr. Knutti. As a facelift operation is a strongly personal matter, it is essential for a clear course of action to be discussed between the patient and the surgeon, to achieve an attractive result in line with personal expectations. The patient's general health and physical condition are discussed, as well as the various visible signs of facial ageing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you might have and clear information is provided to you regarding how the operation takes place and the best way to heal without complications.
There is no particular age or other limitation applicable to facelifts, but the operation is usually considered by people from age 40 upwards. Most suitable candidates are usually in good health but show visible signs of ageing, with wrinkles and a certain amount of skin sagging. An open, clear exchange is important during the consultation with the operating surgeon, to ensure that expectations are realistic, however. At the very least, the patient will be encouraged to stop smoking, especially prior to the operation and avoid certain medication such as blood thinners or anticoagulants. Patients with better skin health can usually expect better results than those whose skin is slack or fallen. Dr. Knutti will analyse these points with you and tell you the best course of action, in your particular case.
The actual surgical procedure takes 2-3 hours, generally, and depending on the technic used, is performed under general or local anaesthesia.
A modern facelift involves a great deal more than the simple smoothing of facial skin tissues. The treatment is a lot more complex than is commonly believed. Depending on the result sought by the patient, the skin is not only remodelled but certain parts of the face are tightened up, while fatty tissue may be removed from one place and transfered to another. Any stitches behind or in front of the ears are done with great care, to ensure a minimum amount of visible scarring, which can then fade away over time. The skill and experience of the surgeon is vital to ensure the correct, subtle adjustment of soft tissue in various places, adding or removing volume in one area or another, to bring about a result that is highly convincing and natural, especially when compared with older, less selective technics.
After the operation, the patient remains at the clinic for the following 24 hours, under the trained eye and care of our professional staff. The morning after the operation, the night nurse removes the bandages and washes the patient's hair. Naturally, a certain amount of swelling is visible but the change is already apparent, the face seeming younger and fresher. The sutures are removed after 5-7 days. After 1-2 weeks, the patient is able to return to work, and after a period of about 4 weeks, to normal sporting activity or intensive physical training. The initial swelling fades after a few weeks and gives the renewed face its final, durable post-operative result.
This involves a relatively basic procedure meant to unset and retighten the skin. The healing is very quick but the improvement usually only lasts a few months.
This refers to a procedure that uses special contour threads covered in fine barbs or conical hooks that are slipped under the skin and tightened. As they provide a unidirectional grasp of the tissues where they are inserted, they pull the skin in the desired direction as they are tightened. The procedure takes 30-60 minutes to perform and is done under local anaesthesia. The resulting improvement is only short term.
Modern aesthetic surgery technics take great care in selecting the optimal placement for any incision and to ensure that these lie outside regions involving hair follicles. For this reason, hair loss, even for a brief period, is extremely rare.
Many people fear they might end up with that unnatural "tight-face" look seen in some celebrities. The latest modern technics used by Dr. Knutti guarantees a natural, fresh appearance.
A facelift turns the clock back as though to an earlier look. The results can be expected to last for the next 8-10 years.
Non-surgical aesthetic procedures include Botox® (botulinum toxin), fillers, laser and radio-frequency skin tightening treatments, etc. These technics can provide a certain level of improvement but are not a viable alternative to a true surgical facelift.
There are many anti-ageing processes aimed at reducing wrinkles or reclaiming lost facial skin tone. Many of these procedures can be combined and provide a satisfactory result, but the effect is unfortunately not a long-term one. For this reason, their impact cannot be compared to the appreciable and durable results of a true facelift operation.
The scars resulting from a facelift operation are very small and located behind and just in front of the ear, and slowly disappear almost completely as they heal.
As a facelift is considered a purely aesthetic procedure, it is rarely reimbursed by medical insurance and in such cases, only by special insurance coverage. Check with your medical insurance provider to find out exactly what coverage you are entitled to.
A typical facelift operation covers mostly the neck and the lower areas of the face. Other operations are performed to improve or alter the eyelids or the forehead. A facelift procedure does not change the texture or quality of a person's skin. For such improvements, other processes exist, such as peeling, mesotherapy, etc. Some of these procedures can be performed at the same time as a facelift operation, in some cases.
