Question: Will I need general anesthesia?
Answer: Some surgeons use general anesthesia for facelift surgery, however I use IV-sedation, also known as twilight anesthesia. (This is very similar to the anesthesia given for minor outpatient procedures such as colonoscopy.) While you will not feel or remember anything, twilight anesthesia is very safe and extremely pleasant. Recovery is quick, easy, and most patients have little or no nausea.
Question: Will I have drains with my facelift?
Answer: Absolutely not! A small minority of surgeons use drains, I do not. They can be uncomfortable and increase your bleeding risks. We find our patients heal quicker and with less bruising without drains.
Question: Will I still look like me?
Answer: Absolutely. In fact, you will look even more like you. People come to see me for a facelift when the face they see in the mirror does not match the one they see in their mind. After surgery, patients look much more like they always had-perhaps 10 years prior. Thus, after surgery, the face you will see in the mirror once again more closely resembles your own picture of you.
Question: I don’t want to look “pulled.” Is that avoidable?
Answer: That “pulled” or “windswept” look is totally avoidable. It does not happen by accident. There are many subtle, but critically important steps I take during surgery to make sure a “pulled” or “overdone” look does not happen. Perhaps the main reason people choose to come to me for their facelift is because I know how to give them a fully refreshed, yet distinctly natural result for both the face and the neck.
Question: Will I be glad I had a facelift?
Answer: While I cannot guarantee an outcome, virtually everyone who has a facelift: A). Wishes they had done it sooner. B). Feels it was much easier than anticipated, and C). Thinks it is one of the best things they’ve done for themselves.
Board-certified plastic surgeon, Brian Hass, MD, is a member in good standing with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. His training includes a general surgery residency at Pennsylvania Hospital and plastic surgery residency at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical/Memorial-Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Before his elite residencies, he completed his BA at Boston University and his MD at University of Connecticut. Brian and wife, Andrea Hass, MD, an ophthalmic plastic surgeon, have run their Hass Plastic Surgery & MediSpa in Palm Beach Gardens since 1995.
