Lifting
Ritidectomy, more commonly known as lifting, is the instrumental surgery to correct the blemishes caused by aging on the face, by eliminating wrinkles on the face and neck.

How it works
It is necessary to point out that the facelift does not have the power to stop the aging process, but it can correct the imperfections caused by senescence on the skin through the repositioning of soft facial tissues and the removal of excess skin resulting in relaxation and repositioning of facial tissues. In particular, the patient should inform the surgeon of his/her health status highlighting any systemic diseases, problems related to blood pressure, the possibility of subcutaneous scars or the tendency to the formation of excessive scars (keloids). The facelift can involve both the face and neck area (we will talk about cervico-facial lifting), or just some specific areas such as the forehead, the temporal area, the cheeks or the neck distinctly (it will be discussed in this case of sectoral facelifts: coronal, temporal or endoscopic lifting). In order to obtain an optimal result, this treatment may be associated with other treatments, such as liposuction of some areas with excess fat (eg double chin), dermal fillers, lipofilling, dermabrasion or chemical peeling

Possible Post-Operative Problems
Complications in this type of surgery are infrequent. However, hematomas may occur, i.e. small collections of blood below the skin that can spontaneously resolve or, alternatively, by local aspiration by the surgeon. It is important to clarify that cigarette smoking causes a slowing down of the healing process that can lead, in severe cases, to skin necrosis. It is therefore mandatory that smoking patients suspend this practice at least 20 days before and 10 days after the operation. Extremely rare anatomical or technical problems can cause transient or permanent paralysis of the facial nerve. Both in the preparation phase and in the post-operative phase, it is always advisable to carefully follow the surgeon’s advice to avoid possible complications caused by incongruous behavior.

Surgical Technique
In face lifting, an incision is made on the skin in front of the ear and in the retroauricular area, the underlying tissues are highlighted and repositioned in the original position; in the face-lift, the incision is less visible as it is hidden in the hair and is performed in correspondence with the upper part of the head; in the neck lift, by an incision of a few centimeters under the chin, the platysma muscle is brought back into tension, recovering the lost tone.

Post-operative course
After surgery, a small drainage can be inserted under the skin behind the ear to drain the blood that may collect. This is removed after a few days. The surgeon can also wrap the head with bandages to minimize the swelling. It is rare to have problems after the surgery. Normally, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory home therapy is prescribed per os. You should not be surprised by a pale and swollen face in the immediate postoperative period; in fact, after a few weeks, the face will be completely normal. The ecchymoses and edema resolve in 7/10 days. the points are removed after 10-15 days

After

Before