Over time, we begin to feel more comfortable in our skin. With time, however, our skin changes. The loss of elasticity promotes expression lines, wrinkles, and saggy, loose skin. The effects of gravity, UV exposure, and other environmental and lifestyle factors take their toll. Edmund Kwan, MD appreciates that patients don’t want to look like someone else; they want to look like a refreshed and healthier version of themselves. One of the biggest compliments Dr. Kwan and his team can get is when patients tell them, “My friends didn’t know I’d had work done. They just thought I looked better than ever.” As an Asian plastic surgeon, Dr. Kwan also appreciates that retaining that identity also involves retaining one’s heritage and ethnicity. During a complimentary consultation, your trusted, board-certified Fort Lee plastic surgeon explains the process of facelift surgery, as well as alternative treatments that may be recommended to suit your lifestyle and goals. In addition to the New Jersey office, patients may wish to schedule a consultation at the Manhattan office or Queens office in Flushing.

Consultation first; compliments later

All successful procedures start with a visit to one of Edmund Kwan, MD’s NYC-area offices, where he evaluates your face, medical history, and chats with you to determine your suitability for the many different treatments available at the specialty practice. There are many non-invasive products that can be used to improve the appearance of crow’s feet and other types of expression lines and marionette and smile lines around the nose and mouth and to replenish sunken areas such as the apples of the cheeks. These options generally include injectables like Botox and dermal fillers such as Juvéderm Restylane. Botox, for instance, may even be used as a “preventive” treatment to halt the development of lines on the forehead, around the eyes, and between the eyebrows. Those patients with earlier signs of aging may be great candidates for “liquid facelifts” with a combination of skillfully administered neuromodulators like Botox and injectable fillers. All that said, there are limitations to what you can achieve with non-invasive treatments alone.

Generally, you may be a suitable candidate for facelift surgery (or rhytidectomy, as it’s known in medical circles) if:

• You’re bothered by very loose, heavy skin.
• You’re healthy and don’t have medical conditions that would interfere with a normal recovery.
• You don’t smoke or use tobacco products. Tobacco can impair with your body’s natural ability to heal following facelift surgery.
• You have a positive yet realistic outlook. Youthful features can be restored with Dr. Kwan’s skill and artistry; yet, competent facelift surgery isn’t about fundamentally changing your looks. And that’s what so many patients love about partnering with Edmund Kwan, MD to achieve their goals. The post-surgery face looking back at them in the mirror is not different. As we like to say about other types of cosmetic treatments, surgical procedures can reset the clock but time marches on regardless.

Steps to a stunningly well-rested refreshed you

If you’re among those patients who is a great candidate for a facelift, your surgery will be performed at Edmund Kwan, MD’s AAAASF-certified ambulatory surgical facility. We’ve successfully performed thousands of procedures at this facility, so all the safeguards are in place to help you feel more confident about your treatment. Dr. Kwan will discuss more on what you can expect before, during, and after treatment; however, generally:

• Patient comfort is ensured with anesthesia. Our ambulatory operating room is equipped to use various forms of sedation, including general and local anesthesia and IV sedation.
• The doctor makes incisions corresponding to the nature and degree of improvement desired. As with other treatments, there are many variations on the facelift procedure; for instance, mini and full or standard facelift, as well as neck or forehead lifts.
• Through these incisions, muscles and other tissues are sculpted and redistributed.
• Over the lifted contours, skin is repositioned.
• Excess tissues are removed as needed.
• Incisions are closed.

Prior to surgery, Dr. Kwan will also go over what to expect following the procedure and instructions for a healthy and efficient recovery. Proper preparation is a must, so it’s important that you follow any instructions regarding tapering or altering herbal supplements and other products that can affect surgical outcomes and healing. Since Edmund Kwan, MD doesn’t believe in cookie-cutter solutions, call 201 947 3636 the Fort Lee office at (212) 734-4488 to schedule a complimentary consultation and go over treatment options tailored to you.