We’ve all heard about facelifts and seen the effect that they have on a patient’s appearance. A well-done facelift can shave years of a patient’s face. Depending on the viability of the candidate and the skill of the surgeon, one lift can take decades off their apparent age.

We may not know exactly what facelifts entail though. For example, did you know that when you have a facelift, you can go home the same day? You don’t need to stay overnight since it’s a fairly standard procedure.

But just because it’s a basic surgery doesn’t mean it’s a simple one. Essentially, the surgeon makes an incision behind your ear, on your neck, or beneath your jaw, depending on the area to be lifted. The surgeon then inserts instruments into the pockets between your skin and your flesh.

Through these pocket incisions, the surgeon pulls your skin and muscle to tighten it, before stitching up the incisions. This tightening removes loose skin and wrinkles, giving you a young, supple appearance that will last a few years. Sometimes, the doctor will remove excess fat and shift tissues around to give a leaner, cleaner result.

The effects of a facelift depend on several factors. Most cosmetic surgery patients want their results to be subtle. They don’t want it to be obvious that they’ve had work done. They don’t want to walk into a clinic looking sixty and walk out closer to twenty. They want people to look at them and wonder what exactly has them so radiant.

They want their friends and family to see that slight change, to see them looking hot and wonder if they changed their hairstyle, or whether it’s a new shade of lipstick. The best way to get these results is to have your surgery done before your wrinkles are distinctly visible.

Another helpful tip is to receive surgery while your skin is still youthful and pliable. It will recover faster, and since it’s elastic, it will respond better to surgery. While you shouldn’t rush to the surgeon at the first sign of laugh lines or worried brows, you shouldn’t wait until you have sagging jowls and thin skin.

The ideal age for a facelift is 45 years. Middle age is a good time to get some changes, so while your husband might want a sports car, you can tighten your skin and make him wonder why your complexion suddenly looks so fresh and energetic.

When you have a facelift in your mid-forties, your surgeon will target your chin and neck. You can combine your facelift with a brow lift to get rid of any worry lines. You can also have your eyes done if you’re worried about crow’s feet. Your surgeon will advise you on the best combination of procedures for optimal results.

A good facelift will keep your skin tight for five or six years, so if you have your first one at age 45, you can touch up at 50, 55, and 60. This way, your skin will look perpetually young, rather than the drastic difference you get from a 60-year-old patient. Starting early and spacing them out will have friends asking where you hide your fountain of youth.

Taking enough time between procedures also gives your skin time to recover and age naturally, which leads to fewer complications. If you need minor work done between facelifts, your surgeon can work on your cheeks or lips.

Early to mid-forties are a good age for your first facelift for social reasons as well. Typically, your kids are in their late teens or early college years. You have more time to yourself so that you might be going out more. In your career, you’re in the middle to top management, and you want to look the part.

If you’re a late bloomer with young babies, you need the image boost that comes with a facelift. After all, raising toddlers in your forties is psychologically taxing, so you want to keep up, and it helps to look the part of a young mom.

If you start your series of facelifts in your forties, you face fewer risks of complications. Many patients wait until their sixties to get their faces lifted. At this time, their overall health is in a more compromised state, and they’re more likely to experience adverse effects. So, for the good of your health and the sanity of your surgeon, consult him/her a few decades early.

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