Dr. Trang Vo-Nguyen (Dr. V) is a board certified facial plastic surgeon, who heads the Virginia Institute for Surgical Arts in Northern Virginia. She provides a range of advanced cosmetic surgery procedures for patients in Chantilly, Fairfax and surrounding communities in VA. Dr. V specializes in facial plastic surgery and performs cosmetic and reconstructive procedures such as facelift, neck lift, eyelid surgery, brow lift, and rhinoplasty.

Dr. V is board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. She received her medical degree from the University of Minnesota, and completed her residency training in Head and Neck Surgery. She followed it up with a Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA.

What is a Facelift?

Facelift, also known as rhytidectomy, is a plastic surgery procedure to reduce the signs of aging, primarily from the midface and lower face. Aging signs may appear more conspicuously on the face due to heredity factors, gravitational forces, environmental exposure, sun damage, medical condition, and natural facial expressions. Skin elasticity also goes down with age due to depletion of natural collagen. Facelift is an effective way to reverse the signs of aging, make the facial skin appear tighter and smoother, and restore youthfulness to the face.

The procedure involves re-contouring the loose skin and muscles, re-positioning the underlying fat and tissue, and restoring volume to the cheeks and mid-face without causing excessive stress to the overlying skin. A typical facelift can take several years off the patient’s face. The goal is to meet the patient’s needs and expectations from the procedure without compromising safety and customizing the treatment in accordance with the unique facial features and anatomy of the patient.

Facelift Techniques

With advancements in cosmetic surgery, a number of innovative approaches to facelift and neck lift surgery are available today. However, the traditional facelift procedure still continues to be preferred by many surgeons. An experienced plastic surgeon will choose the technique that is most suited to meet the patient’s needs and facial condition.

Traditional Technique: The traditional or standard facelift technique is designed to treat the lower two-third portion of the face as well as the neck. It involves removal of excess fat and skin, tightening the loose muscles, and re-draping the skin on the face smoothly. This procedure can be used to correct conditions such as sagging skin, excess fat pockets, droopy jowls, lines beneath lower eyelids, tired or old looking mid-face, lines around the mouth and double chin.

Endoscopic Technique: This facelift procedure involves the use of a miniature camera that is inserted underneath the skin to help identify problem areas and perform corrective surgery. The technique is minimally invasive to ensure that the recovery period is shorter, surgical risk is reduced and scars are negligible. Tiny incisions are made in this technique to help lift the upper face and cheeks. This technique can help improve conditions such as droopy brows, loose skin over cheeks, frown lines, sagging mid-face and jowls, and lines around the mouth.

Facelift is essentially a facial plastic surgery of the mid-face, lower face, and may also include the neck. However, conspicuous signs of aging in the upper face may not be corrected by any facelift technique. To ensure overall facial harmony, the plastic surgeon may recommend combining of facelift with other procedures such as forehead lift, eyelid surgery, brow lift, and minimally invasive treatments such as Botox or laser skin rejuvenation.

Procedure

Facelift is usually performed under local anesthesia. The surgeon will begin the procedure by making an incision along the hairline or natural creases or folds on the face to hide the scars. Through the incision, the surgeon will remove a certain amount of excess tissue and fat. Multiple small incisions may be made to remove fat and loose skin from the chin and neck to enhance the overall facial contour. The overlying skin will be smoothed and re-draped on the face and the incisions will be closed.

The patient will have the face bandaged after the surgery and it may take a day or two before the dressings can be removed. Stitches will be removed in about a week. Pain relieving medication may be prescribed for the first few days. Cold compresses can be used to provide relief from swelling and bruising. Most patients can resume their normal activities within two to three weeks following the surgery.

Facelift with Dr. V

The Virginia Institute for Surgical Arts is a state of the art facility for facial plastic surgery in Chantilly and Fairfax, VA. Dr. V is board certified facial plastic surgeon, with expertise in various cosmetic surgery procedures. She is an experienced surgeon in Northern Virginia for facelift, brow lift, eyelid surgery, and other facial rejuvenation techniques.

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