Is a Facelift Painful?

You will be administered “twilight” anesthesia during Facelift surgery from a board-certified anesthesiologist to ensure your comfort during the procedure. While individual experiences vary, some minor discomfort following surgery is normal. You will be prescribed pain medication to help manage any discomfort, and you will be in close and regular contact with our team to answer any questions following your surgery.

How Many Appointments Will I Need?

Dr. Copeland and Dr. Copeland-Halperin take a hands-on, concierge approach to your recovery. You will return to the practice to remove your dressings the day after surgery and then a week later to monitor recovery, remove sutures, and for your lymphatic massage to help promote healing. As part of your follow-up treatment, Dr. Copeland and Dr. Copeland-Halperin apply a unique LED light therapy to decrease bruising and redness and stimulate collagen. You will then need to follow up one month after surgery and usually every three to six months for the first year after your surgery to monitor your healing and satisfaction with the results.

How Long Until I See Results?

Every patient heals differently but may see visible changes soon after surgery. While recovery should only take about three weeks, most patients will require about six months to see optimal facelift results. To achieve optimal results, follow our post-operative instructions and attend your recommended check-ups with your surgeon.

What Will the Scarring Look Like?

Surgical technique, patient factors, aftercare, and time will determine how the scars heal. It is important to understand that scars will fade with time but might always be visible, even if very faded. Eventually, they will go from being red and more noticeable to matching your skin tone. Dr. Copeland and Dr. Copeland-Halperin will provide a scar regimen that includes silicone scar gel and Dr. Copeland’s specially formulated Pigment Formula, which are essential in helping scars heal optimally. The type of facelift you choose will affect the scarring. Most experienced surgeons hide incisions in hidden areas like the hairline, under the chin, inside the mouth, or behind the ear canal to ensure minimal scarring.

When Can I Exercise Again After My Facelift?

While you will have to take it easy initially following surgery, patients are encouraged to take gentle walks after the first few days. Light cardio and exercise can be resumed four weeks after surgery, and most patients can resume their normal exercise at six weeks. All timelines should be checked with your surgeon.

Can I Combine a Facelift With Other Procedures?

Yes, indeed! Our facelift patients have considered combining their facelifts with other facial rejuvenation procedures, such as rhinoplasty (nose job), neck lift, eyelid surgery, or brow lift. We recommend you discuss these interests with your surgeon at your initial consultation so she can include them in your surgical plan.

What Are the Risks Associated with a Facelift?

While Dr. Copeland and Dr. Copeland-Halperin take every precaution to minimize risks, a facelift has potential risks associated with it that patients need to be aware of. Some are listed below: Anesthesia risks Bleeding Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications Facial nerve injury with weakness Fluid accumulation Infection Hair loss Hematoma Nerve injury Numbness or other changes in skin sensation Persistent pain Scarring While many of these side effects should heal on their own over time, please be sure to contact our office immediately if you are experiencing any long-lasting or unexpected reactions so we may help.

How Do I Find the Best New York City Facelift Plastic Surgeon Near Me?

Choosing to undergo any procedure is a partnership between you and your doctor, and it is essential that you feel comfortable with your doctor and their team. We recommend you research the best craniofacial plastic surgeons in the New York City Area, ensuring their qualifications, board certifications, and practical experience align with your expectations. You should also read past patient reviews to see what the surgeon’s patient interactions have been. Finally, we recommend that patients schedule an in-person consultation to see the surgeon’s before and after photos to get a sense of aesthetics and help them visualize the procedure. It is also an opportunity to ask questions and see the surgeon’s bedside manner to feel comfortable before scheduling surgery.

Facelift

New York, NY

Introduction to Facelift

With time, the stresses of life, and just pure gravity, our faces fall lower on our bone structure. This is why the cosmetic procedure of a facelift has been one of our most popular plastic surgeries. This procedure aims to tighten the skin and eliminate wrinkles and fine lines by literally “lifting” the face back onto our skeletal framework. The skin and underlying tissues are lifted by recontouring the upper and lower face and the neck to give a more youthful appearance. With modern advances, so many options are available now, from mini-facelifts that just target the lower face to full facelifts for longer-lasting results. Recovery time varies. A mini facelift may require a recovery time of only one to three weeks, while recovery following a formal facelift can be longer. The practice of Dr. Michelle Copeland and Dr. Libby Copeland-Halperin offers these various types of facelifts in New York City. This procedure can be performed in our fully accredited ambulatory surgery suite while you are under twilight anesthesia administered by board-certified anesthesiologists.

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What is a Facelift?

Most patients seeking a facelift want to reverse the loss of volume and muscle tone and eliminate wrinkles and fine lines. Given the various types of facelifts available, Dr. Michelle Copeland and Dr.Libby Copeland-Halperin evaluate each patient to help them navigate the differences and select the most appropriate procedure to help them meet their goals.

Types of Facelifts We Provide:

Mini-Facelift or Lower Facelift

Recontours the lower face from cheek to chin. Skin and underlying tissue are lifted to eliminate jowls and effectively redefine the cheekbones. Shorter scars and quicker recovery make this procedure very appealing. The best candidates for the mini-lift are those who are unhappy with the contour of their lower face and neck.

Full Facelift

This procedure involves elevating and repositioning the layers of your face beneath the skin and tightening the skin. The final result looks more natural than the older “plastic tight” or “wind-blown”-looking facelifts. This is a facelift chosen by someone looking for a bigger change than a mini-facelift.

Liquid Facelift

Advanced techniques gently lift and contour facial features without surgery and little downtime. Fillers such as Juvederm, Voluma, Volbella, Radiesse, Sculptra, and even your own fat can lift your skin and recontour your face, restoring a more youthful appearance. Lips that are thin with aging can be made plumper and more kissable, and fine lines around the lips can be reduced.

In addition to dermal fillers, a liquid facelift may include Thermage® or microRF microneedling®, non-invasive treatments that use radiofrequency technology to tighten skin, renew facial contours, and stimulate your body to make healthier collagen—the building block that provides structure to your skin. Thermage and microRF provide immediate results that continue to improve over time.

What Are the Benefits Of A Facelift?

Our patients have reported the following benefits following the above types of facelifts:

Boost in self-confidence
Lifted cheekbones
More defined jawline
Overall tightening of sagging skin
Reduced wrinkles
Reduced or eliminated deep creases
Reduced appearance of neckbands
Vibrant and youthful appearance

Who Are the Best Candidates For A Facelift?

The best candidates for a facelift are those who have some of the following characteristics:

Be at the target weight
Committed to good skincare
Dissatisfied with their facial anatomy
Have facial sagging (i.e., deep wrinkles, jowls, double chin, neck)
Have a positive attitude
Maintain realistic expectations
No serious underlying medical conditions
Non-smoker and committed to staying so

Your facelift journey

What’s the First Step?

The first step in getting a facelift is to schedule a consultation. On the day of your appointment, you and the doctor will evaluate your unique needs, cosmetic goals, and your unique facial anatomy. They will physically examine your unique facial features, including skin quality, skin laxity, soft tissue, sagging jowls, cheeks, and neck muscles.

They will also explain the various types of facelifts that will meet your needs, including the pros and cons of each method. You and the doctor will discuss a surgical strategy to address your concerns while preserving the face’s innate harmony to provide a beautiful, natural-looking result.

If you both decide to proceed with surgery, you will receive a detailed surgical quote for review. Our Patient Coordinator will help schedule your surgical date, and our Nurse will provide you with detailed pre-operative instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including possibly stopping certain medications in the days leading up to the procedure, avoiding sun exposure, and keeping up a thorough skincare routine pre-and post-surgery.

What to Expect on the Day of Facelift Surgery

On the day of your facelift procedure at the practice of Dr. Michelle Copeland and Dr. Libby Copeland-Halperin, you will be received by your staff-doctored surgical team, including our board-certified anesthesiologist. You will settle in our state-of-the-art surgical suite, and we will review your surgical plan in case you have further questions. It is important to us that our patients are fully at ease before going into surgery.

Finally, a board-certified anesthesiologist will administer “twilight anesthesia,” which provides complete comfort while enabling patients to wake up quickly, with less risk of side effects.

Once you are sedated, your surgeon will place incisions to minimize scarring and then reposition the elements of your facial anatomy. Once your aesthetic goals are met, the surgeon will close the incisions with sutures to create minimal scarring.

After your surgery, a compression dressing will be gently applied to protect the incisions and prevent fluid from collecting.

Your guide to post-facelift care

Facelift Recovery

After your facelift surgery, it is vital to keep your bandages dry until they are due to be removed during your first follow-up appointment. Cleaning and aftercare instructions will be provided, along with a timeline of what to expect as you heal.

Generally speaking, mini-facelifts require two to four weeks for healing, while full facelifts require four to six weeks, though final results can take longer. Following proper aftercare instructions and managing expectations is essential to help achieve your goal results!

Your post-operative visit will be scheduled for the day after surgery to meet with your doctor and monitor your progress. You will return for follow-up 5-7 days after surgery. Dr. Michelle Copeland and Dr. Libby Copeland-Halperin incorporate lymphatic massage during recovery to help promote a speedy recovery with minimal downtime. Our lymphatic massages are administered by licensed massage therapists who have specialized training in lymphatic drainage therapy for post-operative patients. This lymphatic massage is included in the cost of the surgical plan.

How Much Does a Facelift Cost In New York City, NY?

The cost of a facelift is widely determined by the type of facelift you receive, the complexity of your case, the surgeon’s and anesthesiologist’s fees, and operating room fees. The best way to find out how much it will cost you is to come for a consultation to discuss your options and receive a personalized surgical quote. You may also discuss financing options from resources such as Carecredit and PatientFi at your consultation.

Why Choose Dr. Michelle Copeland and Dr. Libby Copeland-Halperin?

Dr. Michelle Copeland and Dr. Libby Copeland-Halperin bring a wealth of medical accomplishments and expertise and are known for their empathy and kindness towards their patients and holistic approach to patient care. Dr. Michelle Copeland is the first woman plastic surgeon with a Harvard doctorate in Medicine and Dentistry and is a published author. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an attending surgeon at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Libby Copeland-Halperin joined Dr. Copeland in one of the nation’s few mother-daughter plastic surgery practices. She completed training in both general surgery and plastic surgery, including advanced training in microsurgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital with a focus on breast reconstruction. She brings a humanistic dimension to plastic surgery and enjoys helping patients achieve their cosmetic, aesthetic, and reconstructive goals through a combination of surgical and non-surgical techniques. Dr. Libby Copeland-Halperin is board-certified in general surgery and board-eligible in plastic surgery.

Both doctors work with an international clientele, drawing patients from Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Whether it’s a virtual consultation or in-person, they will answer all of your questions, including options, costs, recovery, and all aspects of treatment for surgical procedures and non-surgical treatments like BOTOX®, Kybella®, fillers, and other non-invasive techniques.

Facelift FAQ’s

You will be administered “twilight” anesthesia during Facelift surgery from a board-certified anesthesiologist to ensure your comfort during the procedure.

While individual experiences vary, some minor discomfort following surgery is normal. You will be prescribed pain medication to help manage any discomfort, and you will be in close and regular contact with our team to answer any questions following your surgery.
Dr. Copeland and Dr. Copeland-Halperin take a hands-on, concierge approach to your recovery. You will return to the practice to remove your dressings the day after surgery and then a week later to monitor recovery, remove sutures, and for your lymphatic massage to help promote healing. As part of your follow-up treatment, Dr. Copeland and Dr. Copeland-Halperin apply a unique LED light therapy to decrease bruising and redness and stimulate collagen.

You will then need to follow up one month after surgery and usually every three to six months for the first year after your surgery to monitor your healing and satisfaction with the results.
Surgical technique, patient factors, aftercare, and time will determine how the scars heal. It is important to understand that scars will fade with time but might always be visible, even if very faded. Eventually, they will go from being red and more noticeable to matching your skin tone. Dr. Copeland and Dr. Copeland-Halperin will provide a scar regimen that includes silicone scar gel and Dr. Copeland’s specially formulated Pigment Formula, which are essential in helping scars heal optimally.

The type of facelift you choose will affect the scarring. Most experienced surgeons hide incisions in hidden areas like the hairline, under the chin, inside the mouth, or behind the ear canal to ensure minimal scarring.
While Dr. Copeland and Dr. Copeland-Halperin take every precaution to minimize risks, a facelift has potential risks associated with it that patients need to be aware of. Some are listed below:
- Anesthesia risks
- Bleeding
- Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
- Facial nerve injury with weakness
- Fluid accumulation
- Infection
- Hair loss
- Hematoma
- Nerve injury
- Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
- Persistent pain
- Scarring
While many of these side effects should heal on their own over time, please be sure to contact our office immediately if you are experiencing any long-lasting or unexpected reactions so we may help.
Choosing to undergo any procedure is a partnership between you and your doctor, and it is essential that you feel comfortable with your doctor and their team. We recommend you research the best craniofacial plastic surgeons in the New York City Area, ensuring their qualifications, board certifications, and practical experience align with your expectations. You should also read past patient reviews to see what the surgeon’s patient interactions have been. Finally, we recommend that patients schedule an in-person consultation to see the surgeon’s before and after photos to get a sense of aesthetics and help them visualize the procedure. It is also an opportunity to ask questions and see the surgeon’s bedside manner to feel comfortable before scheduling surgery.

Schedule Your Consultation

If you are looking to turn back the hands of time on your face, consider learning more about a facelift with Dr. Michelle Copeland and Dr. Libby Copeland-Halperin. To schedule your initial consultation, please contact our office or use our website to fill out a consultation request form.