Facelift – So Why Do You Want It?
One of the most frequent enquiries we receive at Australian Medical Travel is from prospective patients who are considering having a facelift (known in medical parlance as Rhytidectomy).
Of course, everyone’s reasons for wanting to have cosmetic surgery will be different, as will their experience of the procedure, but we think there are some common threads as to why having a facelift is something that many people decide is right for them.
Why people choose facelift surgery
Although there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ age for cosmetic surgery, we have found it to be the case that most people who are considering a facelift procedure are aged between 40 and 60. This tends to be the time when, for many people, the signs of the ageing process become more noticeable. With age, the skin becomes less elastic and the muscles underneath start to weaken a little. This can manifest itself in a variety of ways, but is particularly noticeable around the jaw line and neck, on the eyelids, and in the skin around the mouth.
Most of our patients are therefore looking to cosmetic surgery as a way of revitalising a particular aspect of their appearance, e.g., the lower face and neck, corners of the mouth, etc., and not as a means of entirely transforming themselves, or ironing out every little imperfection. Rather, they want to address some of the more obvious signs of ageing, and a face and neck lift, or Blepharoplasty surgery, can effectively remedy this.
There are also some other motivations as to why patients at Australian Medical Travel opt for facial plastic surgery.
For instance, we have met with patients whose physical appearance has had a significant impact on their professional life. Women in particular have observed that as they have gotten older, the lines at the corner of their mouth or around their eyes have become deeper and more obvious. This has given them an appearance of constant tiredness, or unhappiness, and so has impacted on the way other people see them, which has proven to be detrimental professionally.
“When you work in a pressured, competitive environment where your success can depend to a large degree on how people perceive you, it doesn’t help if you look as though you don’t have the energy to keep up,” 54-year-old Lisa (not her real name) told us when she came to have a lower face lift surgery consultation. “I am very fit and healthy, and full of energy, but because of my neck and jawline, and some of the creases around my mouth, there was a perception by some clients that I perhaps wasn’t dynamic enough to handle their business. It wasn’t true, but in my industry, unfortunately appearances count.”
Closely allied to this is the issue of self-confidence and assurance. As people age and their facial features change, it can have the effect of making them look angry, or stressed, or simply exhausted. This can in turn create a state of anxiety and unhappiness, as people feel that they are not presenting their true selves to the world, and that the face that looks back at them in the mirror is not one they recognise. Therefore, for some of our patents, plastic surgery is a way of rediscovering themselves, or reintroducing who they really are to the world.
There are reasons why not to have plastic surgery
While there can be many positive outcomes to undergoing a facelift, it is important that you understand the reasons why you want it, and that your expectations are in line with what is possible and achievable.
For most people who have facelift surgery, it is a positive experience that ultimately helps them both to look and feel good. People who have become dissatisfied with a certain aspect of their appearance have been able to rectify this, which has in turn increased their confidence and self-assurance.
However, anyone considering cosmetic surgery should be aware that it is not a panacea for all of the dissatisfaction you may feel in life. You are not going to have a lower face lift or a neck lift and suddenly emerge from the procedure a completely new and transformed person. While a facelift may make you look younger or fitter, this may not necessarily be the whole story.
In short, cosmetic surgery can significantly change aspects of your appearance, but it will not automatically change who you are. If you have problems, or there are aspects of your life that you are dissatisfied with, you will still need to work on these, even after a facelift procedure.
Likewise, a facelift or any form of cosmetic surgery will not be able to alter your appearance to such a degree that you look like a completely different person. We have, on occasion, had discussions with patients whose expectations were entirely unrealistic, in that they thought cosmetic surgery could change every single aspect of their appearance. It’s important therefore to think of facelift surgery in terms of providing a remedy or correction for a problem that has developed, rather than a total facial reconstruction. You won’t come out looking like somebody else.
Speak to AMT about Thailand plastic surgery
If you are considering facelift surgery, come and talk to us at Australian Medical Travel. We can help you to reduce your plastic surgery cost significantly by facilitating medical travel abroad to one of our outstanding partner hospitals in Thailand or Malaysia.
For instance, we work with Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, winner of the International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic Of The Year in the 2015 International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) awards, and Sunway Medical Centre in Selangor, winner of the award for Cosmetic Surgery & Aesthetics Service Provider of the Year at the 2016 Global Health and Travel Awards.
AMT can arrange every aspect of your medical treatment abroad, including liaising with the hospital and surgeons, travel and accommodation arrangements, and post-operative care. We accompany you at every step of the way, ensuring that your facelift procedure goes as smoothly as possible.
