A big birthday is approaching with a zero at the end of it. Or a high school reunion. Or your son’s wedding. Sound familiar? These are all “trigger events” that catapult women into the realm of thinking about the “F” word.

You are ready for a facelift if…

§ YOU want to improve the contours of your aging neck, cheeks and jowls

§ YOU have enough excess skin and facial laxity for the investment in time, money and pain/discomfort to be worth it to YOU

§ YOU have done your homework, asked all the appropriate questions, and found the best surgeon you can afford

§ YOU understand what a facelift can and cannot do for YOU; lifts lift, fillers fill, lasers resurface – each treatment does something slightly different and no single treatment does it all! Faclifts fix lines, not lines.

GETTING PREPARED

• Give your skin plenty of TLC. Ensure skin is in optimum condition through deep cleansing facials, daily use of an SPF20 sunscreen, retinoids and vitamin C treatments. The better the condition of your skin before a facelift, the better it will look afterwards. Facelifts work to improve facial contours and smooth out folds, but skincare is still your best ally in the quest for smoothness, softness and texture.

• Give up smoking. You will get a better return on your investment; a facelift may last 3-5 years on a heavy smoker, 5-10 on someone who doesn’t smoke. Many surgeons will ‘tone down’ the facelift they give to a smoker, taking a more cautious approach. Non-smokers tend to recover more quickly from surgery than those with a nicotine habit…

• Listen to your doctor. Heed the advice he gives you before and after surgery. Be sure to come clean about any medications you’re on, including hormone replacement therapy, diet pills, diuretics and supplements containing vitamin E, ginseng and garlic pills, all of which may impact bleeding and anesthesia.

• Tell him how you wear your hair. This can affect where the incisions are placed. Avoid cutting your hair short before a facelift. A little extra hair can be used to miraculously disguise a stubborn bruise or raised scar as it is healing. And the time to get your hair cut is later, when you can attribute your ‘new look’ to a new ‘do’.

• Do your homework. Your doctor will give you instructions about the surgery, designed to steer you through the surgical process and answer frequently-asked questions. Read them through – and call the nurse to explain anything you’re unsure about. (It’s amazing how many patients don’t get round to reading the material until they’re lying in bed recovering…)

• Fill your freezer. Applying an icy-cold pack wrapped in a towel over strategic areas for the first 48 hours after surgery can help tremendously to minimise swelling and bruising. Frozen peas, gel masks or ice cubes wrapped in a hand towel are all equally effective – and ‘the “No Frills” method of dipping a facecloth or gauze in a bowl of ice water works fine, too.

• Take arnica. Arnica montana, the well-known homeopathic medicine, also helps to keep post-surgical bruising and swelling to a minimum. Also brilliant to apply in gel or cream forms.

• Camouflage the evidence. Use concealer or ‘cover-up’ to camouflage bruises. Ask at the beauty counter for the fullest coverage (densest pigment) product available, and choose the exact match for your skin tone. Go lighter, if you can’t find the right match. You can check for the level of coverage by using it on the inside of your wrist to conceal the blue veins there. Pat gently into skin to blend and always ‘set’ with powder. Choose one that is easy-to-apply and is dense enough to disguise deep purple bruising. (NB Make-up should never be applied to open wound, and when applying cosmetics, always use a clean sponge – not fingers, which can spread germs.)

© 2005 HealthNewsDigest.com