The Medical Team performs three different types of facelifts, each with their own indication: a simple facelift, a neck lift and a mid-face lift. If no jaw reduction or chin correction is performed, the facelift can be performed at the same time as the rest of your Facial Feminization Surgery take place.
If you are a smoker, you should stop smoking three weeks before surgery and wait until three weeks after surgery before starting again. Smoking significantly reduces the blood supply to the skin and can lead to serious problems with wound healing.
For a facelift, Dr. Bart van de Ven uses the MACS-lift technique, a technique developed by Dr. Patrick Tonnard and Dr. Alexis Verpaele. A MACS-lift stands for 'Minimal Access Cranial Suspension' lift. 'Minimal access' means a small incision, so a small scar. Because the skin and the underlying layer of the lower part of the face are lifted purely in a vertical direction during this procedure, no incision behind the ear is necessary. The MACS-lift is a very safe and fast way of facelifting with excellent and long-lasting results.
If a patient has too much loose skin in the neck, the MACS lift incision (in front of the ear) should be extended behind the ears. Only then can the excess neck skin be excised.