Face Procedures

What is a facelift?

A facelift is an operation to tighten and lift the soft tissues of your face and neck. As you get older, gravity pulls down on the skin and soft tissues of your face. You are most likely to benefit from a facelift if you have deeper folds of skin on the sides of your nose and mouth, your cheeks have begun to sag or you have a double chin.

What does the operation involve?

The operation is performed under a general anaesthetic and usually takes about two to three hours.

How soon will I recover?

You should be able to go home the same day or the day after and should be able to return to work after the second week, depending on your type of job.

What is a rhinoplasty?

A rhinoplasty (or ‘nose job’) is a cosmetic operation to improve the appearance of your nose. It involves operating on the bones and cartilage that give your nose its shape and structure
Sometimes a rhinoplasty is performed to improve how you breathe through your nose.

What does the operation involve?

A rhinoplasty is usually performed under a general anaesthetic.

Your surgeon can refine the tip of your nose by reducing the cartilage. If you have a hump (dorsum) on your nose, they will shave it down. Your surgeon will usually need to break the base of the bones on the side of your nose so they can narrow and set them. Your surgeon may need to rebuild part of your nose.

How soon will I recover?

If you had some packing in your nose, it will usually be removed on the morning after your operation. Once this has been removed you will be able to go home.

You will need to stay off work and away from groups of people for two weeks to avoid catching a cold, which could result in an infection. You should also not do any exercise, hot baths or bend down. Most swelling and bruising will usually have settled after the third week.

Regular exercise should help you to return to normal activities as soon as possible. Before you start exercising, you should ask a member of the healthcare team or your GP for advice.

It can take many months for your nose to settle down and for the final appearance to develop.

What is a blepharoplasty procedure?

A blepharoplasty procedure can help men and women of all ages to overcome the inevitable signs of skin ageing above, below and around the eyes. This procedure is typically performed to produce a fresher and more youthful eye appearance. The ultimate aim of the surgery is to remove or relocate fat and smooth the loose, lined, crepey skin that can be associated with sun damage and the ageing process.

What does the operation involve?

When performing an upper blepharoplasty procedure, the surgeon will normally excise a narrow crescent shaped portion of skin and underlying tissue from the middle of the upper lid, leaving a microscopic incision, which will follow the natural crease line of the upper lid.

A lower blepharoplasty procedure involves the surgical removal or relocation of fat just below the surface of the skin, or the removal of loose skin. This procedure is performed through an incision, normally just below the lower lash line.

How soon will I recover?

A procedure performed under local anaesthetic will commonly be performed as a day case and a procedure performed under general anaesthetic will commonly involve an overnight stay in hospital. Under normal conditions a blepharoplasty procedure can take from one to one and a half hours to perform.

This procedure has encouraging and relatively speedy results, freeing men and women from a prematurely puffy and/or an unattractively lined and wrinkled facial appearance.

Improved results may take place almost immediately following surgery, but will be obscured by the inevitable bruising and swelling that takes place following this type of procedure. After the initial swelling has settled down (usually after the first week) subtle improvements to the contour and newly refined eye area will take place for up to six months following surgery.

Patients are encouraged to stay as mobile and upright as possible during their early recovery stage to help reduce any swelling or bruising. Patients usually describe the way their eyes feel, as ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘tight’, rather than painful in the initial recovery stages.

Patients will also be advised to take a specific amount of recovery time away from work, dependent on the type of work they perform. Patients are asked to avoid direct sunbathing on the eye area for at least 12 months following surgery due to sensitivity to sunlight. Initially it is good practice to wear sun glasses.