How to Maintain Results After a Facelift

Your recovery time is over. Your facelift scars are healed, youre feeling great, and your surgeon has given you the OK to return to life as usual. So what should you do about your skin now? Can you go back to your old routine? Does your diet matter?
A facelift can take years off your look- but it is not a license to treat your skin poorly after your recovery is over! Like with most plastic surgeries, maintaining your new youthful appearance may take some lifestyle adjustments or the development of new habits. Luckily, these new habits are good for your overall health, as well.
The first step in maintaining a healthy, glowing appearance in your skin is to drink plenty of water (at least eight glasses daily). Staying hydrated is good for all your bodys systems, including your skin. It will keep your face healthy at a deep, cellular level. Drinking water can be better for your skin than many expensive moisturizers.
You will also need to stay out of the sun. Wear a hat and sunscreen when you go outside for more than a few minutes. Use a daily moisturizer that has an SPF, so youre protected from even the most mundane daily sun exposure. Radiation from the sun can cause wrinkles and give your skin a dried, leathery look, complete with sun spots-the opposite of what you want after a facelift.
You probably stopped smoking for a few weeks before the surgery, per your doctors orders. Dont start smoking again. Smoking will make your skin look aged more quickly. It also creates wrinkles around the mouth (from puckering to inhale) and around the eyes (from squinting against the smoke). Throw out the cigarettes and your facelift results will last much longer.
Finally, maintain your ideal weight. Dramatic weight loss or weight gain will cause the skins elasticity to fade, even in the face. Eventually, your skin will start to sag, losing the tightness you gained from the facelift. Your doctor probably recommended that you get to your ideal weight before the surgery, and you will want to maintain that afterwards.
A facelift is not a permanent solution against aging- you will continue to look younger than you did before, but the aging process is not stopped. You can take advantage of non-surgical skin care options to keep the results as long as possible. Ask your surgeon about chemical peels, dermal fillers for filling in wrinkles as they appear, and medical skin care solutions for keeping the skin hydrated and youthful.
If you have questions about facelifts in Northern Virginia, call us at (703) 574- 2588 or click here to schedule a consultation. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!