I always say, to age gracefully one needs to avoid or treat the deformities of aging. The most obvious deformities are the hanging neck, the very exaggerated jowls and nasolabial folds. My patients don’t seem to care about wrinkles. They think those are normal after a certain age. They like to eliminate the gross signs aging. Those are some time obvious to their grand children. One patient told me “my three-year-old grand child grabs the skin under my chin and asks me what is this grandma”. Another patient told me my grand daughter puts her index finger on my jowl and pushes in every time I pick her up. These are deformities of aging that are apparent to even an innocent child and this is why my patients try to correct them.
The two components of facial aging are:
1) Skin laxity and redundancies. For example Jowls, nasolabial folds, marionette lines.
2) Changes in skin texture and fine wrinkles.
The second component is primarily sun related and will require skin resurfacing as primary mode of treatment, even though the wrinkles improve with skin tightening procedures such as face lifting.
The skin resurfacing procedures in general will cause loss of pigmentation and are problematic in patients who are tan or can tan. After resurfacing, on close inspection, the skin will have a different appearance.
In northern New Jersey, specifically in Morristown area my patients want to eliminate the gross sign of aging without changing the character of their skin. My patients want to look natural. They don’t want anyone to know they had surgery. I have talked about the natural look at length. It is buzz word on most web sites. Every one claims to create a natural look, but what makes the so called natural look is the harmony and balance in the facial structures as well lack of visible scares and abnormal textures of the skin. To achieve this harmony and balance, I may have to do more than just a facelift. A combination of procedures like a facelift, brow lift and upper and lower eyelid surgery is occasionally necessary. Restoration of facial volume by fat grafting or fillers like Radiesse is sometimes mandatory to create that harmony and proportion that is so important to achieve the so called natural results. A detailed evaluation of your face is necessary to determine how much surgery or combination of surgical and non-surgical procedures is needed to achieve optimal results.
Common Questions Patients Search About Facelift Surgery
How long does it take to look normal again after a facelift?
Most Northern New Jersey facelift patients look presentable in public around the 10–14 day mark, particularly with a little concealer for residual bruising. The polished, fully-rested result comes in over 3 months as subtle swelling resolves and incision lines fade. Patients who have surgery under local anesthesia with light sedation (Dr. Rafizadeh's standard approach) tend to look fresher faster than those who had general anesthesia.
How long do facelift results last?
A well-executed deep plane or SMAS facelift typically lasts 10–15 years before patients consider a refresh. The face continues to age — the facelift turns the clock back roughly 10 years, but does not stop time. Patients who maintain skin health (sun protection, medical-grade skincare, occasional non-surgical maintenance) tend to extend the visible lifespan of the result substantially.
Should a 70-year-old get a facelift?
Yes, when health allows. Many of Dr. Rafizadeh's North Jersey facelift patients are in their late 60s, 70s, and 80s — the operation is well tolerated at this age when performed under local anesthesia with light sedation, which avoids the cognitive and physiologic burden of general anesthesia. The right question isn't “am I too old” but “am I healthy enough,” and the answer is usually yes.
Is a deep plane facelift better than a SMAS facelift?
Not universally — the right operation depends on the patient. A deep plane facelift releases ligaments that anchor the cheek and midface, producing more dramatic midface elevation; it's well suited to patients with significant midface descent and deeper nasolabial folds. A SMAS facelift is excellent for jowls and the lower face when the midface still has good support. Dr. Rafizadeh chooses the technique based on the patient's anatomy, not a fixed preference.
What is recovery like from a deep plane facelift?
The first week is the most involved: bandages for 24–48 hours, then gradual de-swelling. Bruising peaks days 3–5 and fades by days 10–14. Most patients are back to non-public activities within a week and to social activities by week three. Numbness around the ears and jawline is normal for several weeks and resolves on its own. Dr. Rafizadeh's deep plane patients in Morristown typically describe the recovery as “more tedious than painful.”
What causes a Joker smile or windswept look after a facelift?
The “Joker smile” comes from over-aggressive horizontal pulling of the skin, and the “windswept” look comes from pulling skin and deep tissue in the same direction. Both are technique problems, not facelift problems. Dr. Rafizadeh lifts the deep layers vertically (which mimics how the face descends with age) and the skin in a more horizontal direction; that separation is what produces a natural result. Patients who look pulled or operated were almost always lifted in a single vector with too much tension.
How will I look 3 weeks after a facelift?
At three weeks most North Jersey patients look refreshed and natural in public. Subtle residual swelling along the jawline and beneath the chin softens through weeks 4–8. Incisions are pink and continuing to fade. Patients can wear makeup, attend events, and go back to most workouts (other than heavy lifting and contact sports) by this point. The face will still look incrementally better at 3 months than at 3 weeks.
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