What Are The Complications You Might Face During Face Lift Surgery?

The skin has underlying protein layers, mainly having collagen and keratin. With age, they lose elasticity and the skin begins to sag. This is where facelift gained popularity with various nonsurgical techniques including Botox, chemical fillers, laser treatment, and chemical peels.

Read on to know how these minimally invasive, economic options work in literally lifting up the face:

1. Laser treatment: A beam of a laser (usually Fractional CO2 laser) is used to make small dots on the skin with normal skin left untouched in between. This causes tightening of the tissue underneath, producing a firmer appearance which can take off years from the appearance. 

2. Botox: This accidentally discovered neurotoxin is used to treat wrinkles and sagging skin. The sagging areas of the face (usually forehead and nasal folds) are injected with Botox. The wrinkles are gone and the fine lines are lost, and the result can last for up to 8 months. 

3. Fillers: Chemicals which are naturally present in the skin like hyaluronic acid and collagen extracts are injected into the skin to fill up the underlying skin and produce a fuller, younger appearance. The lower cheeks, corners of the eyes and mouth, and area under the eyes are commonly treated by this method. 

4. Chemical peeling: The top layer is often peeled off using chemicals so that fresh, younger-looking skin is generated. This also helps in reducing pigmentation, reducing forehead lines, de-tanning, and producing a glowing, radiant, younger-appearing skin. It also can be used in other skin conditions including rosacea. While each of these is widely popular, they come with potential risks and minor complications. 

Possible complications of surgical facelift:

1. Hematoma: There could be small hematomas in the underneath layers of the skin, which will take some time but dissolve on its own. 
2. Numbness/tingling: The face has a rich nerve supply, and if any of these are touched, there could be numbness or tingling which improve with time. 
3. Bruising: The face, in the immediate postop period, can have a bruised appearance, which will improve over 4 to 5 days.