A facelift surgery improves the appearance of mainly the jawline and neck. It does not improve hooded eyelids or low eyebrows, although you can combine a facelift surgery with eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) or forehead lift surgery. Dr Zakhary uses the Optimum Mobility Facelift technique, which was pioneered by Dr. Nabil Fanous. With this special approach, a maximum result is obtained using minimum surgical dissection, which translates to less swelling, no need for shaving the hair, and safer healing for the skin.

The incision starts above the ear, where it is hidden in the hairline at the temples. It then runs between the ear and cheek, into a natural crease, where the scar will be hidden and least noticeable. Finally, the incision continues behind the ear and along the hairline behind the ear, resulting in a scar that can be camouflaged by hair.

The muscles and facial tissues are tightened for a long lasting result, and the excess skin is removed.

Under the chin, excess fat collections can be removed using a small tube connected o a liposuction machine (similar to a vacuum machine).

A face lift usually requires about four to five hours to perform.

Most of the final sutures are absorbable and disappear by themselves, and some others require removal one week after facelift surgery.

You will experience a sensation of tightness around your jaw, and possible numbness around your ears for a few weeks following surgery, but these resolve and you will feel comfortable soon after your surgery.

On the average, you will be presentable with make-up and may return to work two to three weeks after surgery.

Your appearance will continue to improve for at least six months after surgery.

A face lift primarily corrects your sagging jawline and neck, but to improve lines and wrinkles around the lips and nose, other facial plastic surgery procedures may be needed, such as Filler injections. Dr. Zakhary, a facial cosmetic surgeon, will be able to discuss these options with you during your consultation.

Lifting your face will improve your appearance, but it does cannot stop the aging process. Facelift surgery turns back the clock but does not stop it from ticking forward! In most cases, however, you may look five to ten years younger after your surgery... and you will maintain this age difference forever.

A face lift is not the end of the road. Although you will continue to look better after facelift surgery, than if you never had the surgery, ideally you should maintain your surgical result by undergoing minor cosmetic procedures every year or two after your initial surgery, to help to slow down the effects of the aging process on your face.

With age or prior weight gain, a pocket of fat can form below your chin creating the appearance of a double chin. This double chin can be improved either at the same time as a facelift surgery, or in younger patients, can be performed alone. To improve a double chin, a small incision is placed under the chin. The fat is suctioned out with a small tube connected to a liposuction machine. If you also happen to have a weak chin, which can worsen the appearance of a double chin, Dr. Zakhary can improve this at the same time, with a small chin implant.

As you age, you develop thin lips. Thin lips can make you look older than you really are. If you have thin aging lips, you can correct this either during your facelift surgery, or shortly before or after, to give you a younger and more rejuvenated appearance.

Thin lips can be improved with Filler Injections: Lips may be made fuller and more attractive with different injections, such as Restylane.

Thin lips can be improved with Surgery (Bull horn upper lip lift surgery): This type of surgery needs expertise and great precision. Dr. Zakhary has performed many of these lip lift surgery procedures. An incision is made at the border of the nose and upper lip. A segment of skin is then excised along the incision to lift the upper lip and make the red lip look larger. Following surgery, you will have a small scar underneath your nose which will rapidly fade, and you will be socially presentable in around 2 weeks. The resulting scar is easily camouflaged by makeup and hair, and they will continue to fade for at least one year following surgery.

As with any cosmetic surgery procedure, there are certain risks associated with facelift. Although they are Rare, reaction to anesthesia, bleeding, hematoma (an accumulation of blood under the skin), or infection can be some possible complications. Facelift incisions are most often hidden, and fade into a thin white line over time, but sometimes the individual healing may lead to a more noticeable scar. The surgeon cannot control a person's individual healing tendencies, although Dr. Zakhary can help with a scar revision if this is needed due to poor patient healing. Often temporary skin numbness may occur, and disappears with time. Ideal patients are healthy people who are non smokers. If you smoke, take medications or have certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, tendency to form thick scars, bleeding or clotting problems, you should discuss potential risks with this type of surgery with Dr. Zakhary during your consultation with her in Calgary.

Healing does not occur right away after Facelift Surgery, and so you should be patient in waiting to see your final result. The final result will be noticeable in around 6 weeks, although you will often be socially presentable after 2 weeks. It is important to understand that fine lines and deep wrinkles cannot be completely removed by facelift surgery, and skin pigmentation problems cannot be corrected through facelift surgery. Other options exist to correct these issues. You are welcome to discuss this with Dr. Zakhary during your consultation. It is also important to note that facelift surgery does not eliminate deep nasolabial folds (smile folds), although it will help to soften them. Dr. Zakhary's patients are usually happy with their appearance for many years following a facelift, though some patients may find they want to make additional improvements later on.

Facelift surgery does not change your facial structure or your fundamental appearance, and it cannot stop the aging process.

A facelift can only be performed by surgery. Non-surgical procedures can help you to look younger and more refreshed, but they cannot improve sagging tissue or remove excess fat, like a surgical facelift can, and non surgical procedures will not achieve the same results as a Facelift surgery. That is to say that non surgical cosmetic procedure can indeed complement the results of surgery. Facelift surgery is a very individualized procedure, and you should want do it for yourself, not to impress someone else or to fulfill someone else's desires or fit any sort of ideal image.

Facelift surgery is a good option for you if:

• You are physically and psychologically healthy.
• You do not smoke.
• You have a positive outlook and specific, realistic goals in mind for the improvement of your look.
• You understand that the results of a facelift will not last forever, and other procedures may help to compliment your look and improve your overall appearance.

For some patients, Dr. Zakhary may determine that cosmetic neck lift surgery is the best procedure to remove excess skin (wattle or turkey neck) and fat and to tighten lax muscles in the neck which are the result of the natural aging process or a genetic tendency. This surgery may be performed in addition to facelift or may be the only tightening needed for a younger, smoother looking neck.

The neck lift involves incisions along and behind the ears and under the chin to remove excess fat with liposuction, and reposition or tighten the neck muscles with sutures which hold the repositioned tissues in proper place to create a natural, more youthful neckline.

The surgery takes about three to four hours and may be performed using general anesthesia in a fully accredited Calgary surgical facility, and recovery is similar to that of facelift. Dr. Zakhary will recommend that you wear a compression bandage for a while to hold tissues in place and decrease swelling and bruising. You should plan on taking a least two weeks off to recover.

A mini facelift or Neck lift surgery is a minimally invasive procedure with shorter incisions than traditional surgery.

Its results are less dramatic but can pinpoint specific signs of aging in the face. It is a very attractive option for you if you have specific facial enhancement needs.

The advantage to a mini face lift is that it is tailored to meet specific needs, focusing mainly on trouble spots.

A mini face lift can address specific areas of the jowls, jawline and neck without the time and effort required for a traditional face lift surgery. It is like a traditional face lift in that incisions are required along the hairline or near the ears in order to help tighten droopy muscles and skin of the face and neck.

The difference is that a mini face lift procedure uses fewer and smaller incisions. That's why it is a popular choice for younger patients as a maintenance procedure, or for people who do not want a lengthy operation.

It prevents the need for more dramatic changes later in life and makes subtle changes to the face that doesn't look its been operated on.

By using fewer incisions, the recovery time and number of complications associated with the surgery are reduced significantly.

Undergoing maintenance mini face lifts is also easier than waiting to do a full face lift later on.

This mini lift has been wildly popular among people with busy lives because of shorter recovery times.

A facelift surgery is intended to give a more "refreshed" appearance by improving your jawline and neck contours, and will not address specific conditions such as skin pigmentation problems, sagging eyebrows, sagging eyelids, or wrinkles around your mouth. Dr. Zakhary can address and improve these other issues with other facial plastic surgery techniques, such as a medical skin care, laser resurfacing, brow lift surgery, or eye lift surgery (blepharoplasty surgery).

During your consultation, Dr. Zakhary may suggest that your Facelift Surgery can be performed together with a eye browlift, and/or eyelid lift surgery to address sagging in the upper face, and skin resurfacing treatments may be needed for pigmentation and texture problems.

Dr. Zakhary also frequently uses Facial fillers (such as Restylane and Perlane) to enhance the volume of the cheeks and fill in deep facial folds. These procedures are a natural complement to facelift surgery and can correct the loss of facial fullness resulting from the aging process. The use of fillers together with facelift surgery can help you to avoid an over-operated appearance, and achieve a natural rejuvenation which is a great sign of good cosmetic facial surgery.

Chin and prejowl implants can also be performed together with facelift surgery by Dr. Zakhary, to help you to obtain the best results. In aging patients with small chins or flat cheeks, Dr. Zakhary may suggest that you combine facial implants with facelift surgery will substantially enhance the overall cosmetic facial plastic surgery result.

Liposuction can be used to effectively remove localized fat in conjunction with neck lift procedures. Dr. Zakhary will find and recommend the combination therapy the most effective way to achieve total facial rejuvenation.

A thorough consultation with a highly qualified, board-certified facial cosmetic surgeon like Dr. Zakhary in Calgary, to discuss these options, limitations and risks, will help to ensure that you understand them completely and have realistic expectations regarding results.

Contact Dr. Zakhary's office in Calgary now at 403-668-2917 to schedule a consultation to see how facelift, neck lift or combination facial cosmetic surgery options might be the answer to your aging concerns and lead to a more youthful-looking, confident you.