Facelift With FX Laser Resurfacing
Procedure Time
2 Hours
Recovery Time
1 week
Best Facelift Bellevue: Facelift With FX Laser Resurfacing
Aging affects the face in many ways. Jowl sagging, age spots, and decrease in skin quality can all appear with time. Facelift procedures are one of the most effective ways to combat these side effects of aging. Mini facelifts typically suit younger candidates while full facelifts fit older candidates. Yet, a facelift corrects excess skin and fat in the lower third of the face, with moderate correction in the midface. However, many facelift candidates have concerns about overall skin quality or areas beyond where a facelift corrects. A facelift with FX laser resurfacing may be a good fit for addressing these concerns. Dr. Ludwig Allegra of Northwest Face & Body performs the facelift with FX laser resurfacing in Kirkland and Bellevue.
Full Face Rejuvenation: Facelift With FX Laser
A facelift procedure can provide a dramatic result that affects the overall look of the face. Typically, patients can expect the removal of excess skin and fat from the jowls, neck, and lower third of the face. Depending on your needs, Dr. Allegra may tighten the underlying muscles and skin. This can lead to natural enhancement of the cheeks and midface.
One aspect of aging that a facelift alone cannot totally correct is skin quality. Sun damage, age spots, pigmentation issues, and rough skin all may improve somewhat from a facelift. However, overall, the procedure is not ideal for treating these concerns. This is where the FX laser can benefit patients who can benefit from both a facelift and laser resurfacing in Kirkland.
Benefits Of Adding FX Laser To A Kirkland Facelift
Utilizing a CO2 laser like the FX laser during your facelift offers many benefits. Furthermore, not only will you see the advantages of both procedures, you will only undergo one recovery period. This saves money and time in the long term. Among the benefits of adding an FX laser procedure onto your facelift are:
- Improvements in skin quality
- Tighter, younger looking skin
- Reduction in fine lines and wrinkles
- Improvement in skin pigmentation
- Treatment of acne scars
- Shrinking of pore appearance
- Stimulation of collagen and elastin production
- Enhances facelift results
- Does not add significantly to facelift recovery time
- Personalized procedure that treats individualized areas
Traditional Facelift Vvs. Facelift With Laser Resurfacing
For some patients, a traditional facelift may best suit their needs and satisfy their cosmetic goals. If your concerns are related to the sagging and heaviness of the lower face, you may only need a Bellevue facelift. Additionally, if you have good skin quality, an FX laser treatment may not benefit your facelift surgery.
However, if years of sun exposure and aging have taken a toll on your skin quality, FX CO2 laser resurfacing may improve it. Also, laser resurfacing can enhance facelift results and restore a youthful appearance to the entire face. Both procedures can provide dramatic results and benefit facelift patients of nearly any age.
The similarities between the procedures largely outweigh the differences. Dr. Allegra will perform a facelift during both surgeries. Therefore, this means that you can expect major changes in facial appearance from either procedure. The main differences come with the addition of surgical laser resurfacing that Dr. Allegra customizes to fit your goals and needs.
Facelift vs. Adding FX Laser
Facelift
- Removes extra skin and fat from lower face
- Does not improve skin quality of entire face
- Cannot address pigmentation or coloration concerns
- Suitable for all skin types and tones
Facelift with Laser Resurfacing
- Improves overall skin quality
- Treats full face
- Can treat acne scarring, sun spots, and damaged skin
- Can improve pigmentation and coloration issues
- Not suitable for all skin tones
Before And After: Facelift With FX Laser
Choosing to have a Kirkland facelift–with or without FX laser resurfacing–is a decision that requires research and dedication. At Northwest Face & Body, Dr. Allegra and our team of motivated healthcare professionals aim to answer your questions and provide a welcoming environment. The first step on your cosmetic surgery journey is to schedule a consultation with our accomplished cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Ludwig Allegra.
Your Plastic Surgery Consultation
At Northwest Face & Body, your consultation will begin with a conversation about your goals and expectations for surgery. Understanding the improvements you want to see will help Dr. Allegra cater the facelift in Kirkland to you. He will also inquire about your medical history and lifestyle. This allows him to ensure you are a good candidate for a facelift with FX laser resurfacing.
Finally, Dr. Allegra will perform a physical examination of your face, neck, and surrounding structures. This allows him to determine if a facelift with laser resurfacing will benefit you. He will explain the procedure and the results you can expect.
The Procedure
On the day of your Kirkland facelift, you will come to our Medicare certified surgical center in Kirkland. Dr. Allegra will meet with you before surgery to make marks and review the surgical plan. You will then be placed under general anesthesia by licensed anesthesiologists who will monitor you throughout surgery.
Dr. Allegra will initially perform the Total FX laser treatment first. He will use a CO2 laser technique in two modalities. The first is “Deep FX” creating 10,000 + micro perforations through the dermis that stimulate the production of elastic tissues and collagen. This results in significant tightening and reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. Dr. Allegra follows this with a single “smoothing” pass that freshens the top layers of the skin. He will also custom tailor the treatment to you in so far as more damaged areas receive more treatment. For example, if you have sun damage on your cheeks, but good skin quality on the chin, Dr. Allegra can adjust the laser settings. This hybrid technique has the benefit of treating the deeper layers of skin with minimal trauma to the upper layer of skin while still offering results seen with more invasive techniques.
Following this the facelift is performed. Making a small incision around your ear, he will remove excess skin and fat. Then, he will tighten the underlying muscles to give your face a longer lasting youthful look. Depending on your needs, a facelift with FX laser can take anywhere from two to three hours.
Some patients may be good candidates for a mini facelift which is a less invasive version of a traditional facelift. It consists of a smaller incision and less invasive methods. Often, it is used for patients in their forties to fifties who desire correction, but do not have advanced signs of aging. You can discuss the differences between a mini facelift and full facelift with Dr. Allegra at your consultation.
Your Recovery
Combining your facelift with FX laser resurfacing has many advantages when it comes to your recovery. You will recover from the facelift and CO2 laser resurfacing at the same time. Dr. Allegra takes every precaution to minimize side effects and incision size.
In general, patients tend to enjoy a rapid recovery period and have little need for pain medication. Immediately following surgery, your face will have a superficial, very thin, brownish layer that peels off over 5-7 days. once peeled off–similar to a sunburn peeling–there is a diffuse rosiness that fades over several weeks. This can be easily covered in 7- 10 days. Side effects of the procedure include minor swelling, expected redness, and sunburn-like skin peeling. Generally by 2 weeks the appearance is excellent. For example, any stitches from your facelift are typically removed within a week to ten days. Many patients also return to work around this time.
You can expect to continue refraining from exercise for at least two weeks. Facelifts and CO2 laser resurfacing have around the same recovery time. Due to the collagen production the FX laser induces and skin settling, your final results will take a few months. However, most patients see the cessation of noticeable side effects in a month or less.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Safe To Have FX Laser And A Facelift At The Same Time?
In ideal candidates, combining a facelift with a CO2 laser procedure is perfectly safe because it does not add significant surgical time and most facelift patients are good candidates for surgical laser resurfacing. Dr. Allegra will determine if combining both of these procedures is a safe option for you during your consultation.
Can I Combine FX Laser With Other Facial Plastic Surgeries?
Yes, it is not only a facelift that you can integrate with FX laser treatments. Brow lifts, eyelid surgery, midface lift, and nearly any facial plastic surgery is compatible with our Kirkland Total FX CO2 laser resurfacing. You can even have Total FX laser resurfacing as a standalone surgical procedure. It also frequently supplements results from IPL, chemical peels, and microneedling.
Since it treats skin quality versus facial structure, it is the perfect addition to any procedure at Northwest Face & Body.
What Can I Expect From My Results?
Like any cosmetic surgery, it will take a few months for the final results from your facelift with FX laser resurfacing. The facelift requires the skin and muscles to settle into their new positions and swelling to go down. FX lasering induces collagen production that can continue and improve for months following the procedure.
After about nine months, most patients start to see their settled results. From a facelift, some immediate results will be noticeable as skin and fat deposits are removed. This will lead to a thinner appearing face that looks younger and no longer dragged down by sagging structures. FX laser results continue to improve over months with additional collagen build-up.
Extra collagen production supports healing of facelift incisions and the future suppleness of your skin. Skin with enough collagen is bouncy and lifted. Therefore, boosting your body’s natural collagen production improves facelift results.
What Are The Risks Of CO2 Lasers?
Any cosmetic procedure comes with some inherent risks. FX laser resurfacing is not an exception, however, in ideal candidates complications are rare. The largest risk comes from hyperpigmentation in those with darker skin tones. Many people with skin tones Type III and darker are at a higher risk of experiencing hyperpigmentation from any laser procedure. Brightening creams that temporarily reduce melanin production (but do not change skin tone) can sometimes prevent hyperpigmentation. Also, microneedling and RF microneedling are procedures that poses no risk to darker skin tones and may be an option.
In other patients, laser resurfacing may not be the best procedure. Other alternatives include chemical peels, dermabrasion, or, in some cases, non-ablative lasers. At your consultation, Dr. Allegra will evaluate your risk for hyperpigmentation and discuss your options.
While FX laser resurfacing does not include incisions, the stripping of skin layers can cause scarring in those prone to thickened or keloid scars. If this is the case you may not be an ideal candidate. If you have a tendency to develop scars, especially keloid scars, you should discuss this with Dr. Allegra.
Generally, risks and complications caused from a facelift with FX laser resurfacing are rare. Especially when performed by an experienced cosmetic surgeon like Dr. Ludwig Allegra. The procedure is usually well tolerated and typically achieves excellent results.
Does It Lead To An Extended Recovery Time?
Patients considering adding FX laser treatment to their facelift often ask if it extends recovery time. Luckily, patients normally do not experience an extended recovery time due to the addition of laser treatment. The skin takes around one week to ten days to heal from FX laser resurfacing. By that point, most facelift patients are no longer experiencing noticeable side effects. Therefore, adding CO2 laser to a facelift does not extend recovery time in most patients making it the best facelift Bellevue offers.