How do I know if I need a facelift?
Only you can say what bothers you, and only a surgeon who examines you can say what a facelift could do about it. Keep those two questions separate as you read.
Your own observations, before any exam
Note what you see and what you want, then take those notes to an exam. The plastic surgery society's page on facelift candidates is a good place to see how candidacy is described.
Earlier steps before a facelift decision
It helps to look at facial aging as a sequence of choices, not one decision. Before you settle on surgery, it is reasonable to ask which earlier steps you have taken and what each one changed. Sun care and skin health are the first steps to review, and a surgeon can tell you whether they are still worth your attention in your case.
To see how a university medical center describes the operation, read its page on face and neck lift. To check a surgeon's credentials, the facial plastic surgery board's home page is where that board presents its work.
Building a record before your facelift consult
- Take dated photos in the same light for a few weeks, so you judge from a record and not a single mirror moment.
- List the specific areas you want changed.
- Book consultations with surgeons in your area, Kirkland included if that is near you, and ask each one what they would and would not do for your face.
- Ask what you could try first and what waiting would change.
When a surgeon rushes the decision
Needing a facelift is not something a checklist can settle. Ask what delay costs and what it protects. If a surgeon pushes a quick decision, take that as a reason to slow down and get a second opinion.