Facelift Conveniently located to serve New Jersey and Howell

Dr. Zhuravsky commonly performs facelift surgery on his patients from New Jersey as well as those that travel to see him from New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, and even other more distant states. He performs a variety of techniques, however his most popular is the deep plane facelift as this provides his patients with the best facelift results.

The facelift is one of the most common procedures that people think of when they hear plastic surgery. This very popular procedure has been around for a long time but throughout the years has had a few of its own facelifts, and even evolved into a variety of spin-off procedures. Today, we hear many different names such as mini-facelift, mid-face lift, S-lift, minimally invasive facelift, SMAS lift, Deep plane facelift, composite facelift, and a plethora of other names that add letters or words to facelift. While differences do exist between some of the techniques, the core procedure is still a facelift and the goals remain the same; to resuspend the facial structures that have descended with age and tighten the overlying skin, thus achieving a rejuvenated appearance.

Facelift Before & After Photos

* Individual results may vary.

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View before-and-after pictures of real patients of Dr. Ruslan Zhuravsky

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The Most Common Concerns That Patients Have About Facelift Surgery

If this procedure gives patients such great results, then why is there so much hesitation and fear that surrounds it? There are several common concerns that Dr. Z hears on a frequent basis:

1. LOOKING FAKE

   Patients often discuss celebrities or friends that have had facelifts leading to an unnatural appearance. The most common features they point out are the distortion of facial structures like the mouth and eyes, as well as skin that is too tense. This is NOT what a facelift is about, and does NOT have to be the case with a properly performed surgery. The goal is for results such that those that did not know you prior to surgery, would not know that you have had a facelift, and those that have known you are impressed with your natural rejuvenation.

2. GOING UNDER THE KNIFE

   The word surgery itself eludes a certain fear in many patients, some concerned about the anesthesia, others about the actual act of surgery itself. Anesthesia has come a long way and is generally safe for most patients. Alternatively, this procedure can be performed with the patient awake without general anesthesia. This is called “local anesthesia” and involves injections of lidocaine to numb the patient much like a dental procedure (but without the drilling). Patients are also given a medication for pain and one for anxiety to make the process more relaxed and to help them deal with the thought of surgery, some even nap through parts of it.

3. THE POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS

   Patients often have trouble expressing exactly what concerns them about the surgery itself, but after in depth discussion, Dr. Z believes they are often afraid of the unknown complications. For the vast majority of cases there are no complications and all goes well. However, rare complications are always a possibility. Fortunately, most of these (rare complications) are minor and treatable without long term issues. The major complications are even more rare. Nerve injury is perhaps the one we worry about the most. It occurs approx. 1% of the time and usually involves movement of the corner of the mouth or forehead and eyelid region, but this often self-resolves within weeks to months.

4. NOT KNOWING WHICH PROCEDURE TO CHOOSE

   A wide variety of facelift procedures as well as alternatives to facelift are marketed today, and this can be very confusing for patients. The burden should not be completely laid upon the patient to choose, rather the surgeon should help guide the patient based upon their examination and patient’s goals. The patient should consult with their surgeon(s) and ask why a particular approach is optimal for their specific needs, not simply sign up for a generic procedure.

“Great Doctor”

5 – Written onApril 4, 2019

Great Doctor with great knowledge. Extremely personable and compassionate about providing detailed information. He is truly invested in what is best for his patients. I would highly recommend him!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

by C.M.

Facelift Vs. Other Less Invasive Procedures

Alternative options such as fillers, fat grafting, lasers, radiofrequency, and other technology focused on rejuvenation have been advertised as alternatives to facelift. We have to keep in mind that the primary objective with a surgical facelift is to lift and tighten. Generally speaking, alternative modalities offer a smaller degree of tightening and lift, with shorter term results, thus are better suited for the milder cases. On the other hand, such modalities can help correct other signs of aging and can be used in combination with a facelift (see below). The surgeon should base their nonbiased recommendations primarily on patients’ goals, skin laxity, skin quality, amount of volume loss, budget, and general state of health. A very popular alternative in our practice is FaceTite / NeckTite. This provides great results for those with milder laxity, and good results for those that have more significant laxity, but do not wish to have a more invasive procedure.

When Should a Facelift Be Done in Combination With Other Procedures?

One very important point to understand when discussing facelift surgery is that while the descent and drooping of facial structures is a major component of facial aging, we are also dealing with skin texture changes, as well as the loss of facial volume from fat and bone. A facelift will support the facial structures, bringing the fat pockets back up to their youthful positions and will tighten the skin, but it cannot always be used as the sole procedure to improve ALL aspects of aging. In such cases, facelifts can be combined with fat grafting or fillers to add volume, as well as resurfacing to improve skin quality. There are even cases where volume loss is the predominate issue, and a “facelift effect” maybe achieved with fat grafting or fillers alone.

Whats the Difference Between the Various Types of Facelifts?

A very important concept of facelift surgery is that we are not pulling on the skin itself, but rather on the supporting layer below called the SMAS (submucosal aponeurotic system). This layer supports the skin, as well as the fat pads of the face and is the key to facelift surgery. The biggest difference between the types of facelifts is how aggressively they approach the SMAS and how much of the skin is elevated.

While this is not a forum for the ongoing debate among surgeons regarding facelift techniques, it is reasonable to say that not every technique is always the right option for every patient. Thus, it is important that patients do not put themselves on an assembly line for a specific type of lift.

Generally speaking, the less invasive approaches boast faster procedure times, with potentially faster recovery yet a smaller degree of improvement. The more aggressive approaches provide a greater ability for lift and repositioning, but longer surgical times, and potentially a few more days of recovery.

Dr. Z is a strong believer that each patient should be evaluated individually and the approach chosen after a thorough physical examination and discussion with the patient.

What Is The Recovery After A Facelift?

Many of our patients return to work and their daily activities after 1 week (with certain restrictions). The main aspects of recovery after any surgical procedure are pain, bruising/swelling, activity level, and aftercare.

1. PAIN AFTER FACELIFT

   Patients often discuss celebrities or friends that have had facelifts leading to an unnatural appearance. The most common features they point out are the distortion of facial structures like the mouth and eyes, as well as skin that is too tense. This is NOT what a facelift is about, and does NOT have to be the case with a properly performed surgery. The goal is for results such that those that did not know you prior to surgery, would not know that you have had a facelift, and those that have known you are impressed with your natural rejuvenation.

2. BRUISING AND SWELLING AFTER FACELIFT

   The vast majority of bruising and swelling after a facelift occurs during the first week. During this 1st week, patients wear a compression garment, so the appearance is not a major issue. During the 2nd week there is often a yellow hue from bruising that settles down to the neck, which patients cover with either makeup or a silk scarf. By this 2nd week there is still fullness from swelling in the outer parts of the face and neck, but most patients find themselves comfortable enough to be seen in public. The swelling seen in week 3 is usually seen as favorable as it often adds positive volume to the face and in most cases the bruising is fully resolved.

3. ACTIVITY LEVEL AFTER A FACELIFT

   During the first week patients are asked to limit any high moderate to strenuous activities. Caution is taken with activities such as lifting items over 10lbs and bending over. However, patients should NOT be bed bound and are encouraged to walk around the house. Most patients can return to work after 1 week but are asked to limit certain activities such as lifting over 20lbs or turning their heads to extreme positions. Light exercise can be resumed around day 10 in the form of walking or light stationary bicycle. More intense exercise is avoided for 3 weeks, especially if it involves turning the head to extreme positions. This means that while yoga can be resumed, patients should modify their positions.

4. FACELIFT AFTERCARE

   Dr. Zhuravsky does NOT use drains. A compression garment is worn all day for the first 7 days. Patients remove this twice daily (morning and evening) to clean the incision lines with peroxide and apply an antibiotic ointment. Sutures are removed on Day 7. The compression garment is then worn at night only for another 7 days.

If you are interested in having a consultation with Dr. Zhuravsky, please call and schedule an appointment. Our office is conveniently located in Central New Jersey, within ~1 hour of New York City and Philadelphia. For those that are greater than 80 miles away, a virtual consultation can be arranged.