Facelift: an alternative for cases of facial paralysis

• May 18, 2022
• By Fernando Amato

Did you know that a facelift can be an alternative for facial harmonization in people with facial paralysis?

Sagging skin and fat in the neck, as well as deep wrinkles around the mouth, can be rejuvenated. Rhytidectomy, also known as a facelift, aims to neutralize the signs of aging by treating skin laxity, reducing facial wrinkles, and repositioning tissues to improve facial contour.

Within the rhytidectomy procedure, there are various techniques, and indications are personalized. It can be associated with other complementary facial procedures such as upper and lower blepharoplasty, forehead lift, rhinoplasty, chin liposuction, chin implant, cervicoplasty, peeling, fat grafting, among others.

The mini-lift, widely publicized, is a variant of rhytidectomy with the same purpose but treating a smaller surgical area. The indication may vary for each patient.

Rhytidectomy goes beyond aesthetics, being widely performed in reconstructive surgeries for patients with facial paralysis and collagen diseases such as Cutis Laxa, a connective tissue disorder that causes wrinkles and skin laxity.

The scar from rhytidectomy is located around the ear (pre- and retroauricular), potentially extending into the scalp. Anesthesia, in most cases, is general for patient comfort, but in some cases, it can be performed with local anesthesia and sedation.

The surgery can be performed in a day hospital if the patient has no pre-operative comorbidities, allowing for discharge on the same day according to their post-operative recovery. Typically, the patient can return to activities within two to three weeks.

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