A midface lift is a surgical option for cheeks that have moved downward. The operation runs in order: preparation, anesthesia, access, repositioning, closure and recovery.
Lift or volume
What a lift is meant to do
A midface lift is described as repositioning tissue, where an implant or filler adds volume. Ask your surgeon which of the two your cheeks need and why. Ask whether a lift, an addition or a combination is proposed for you.
Related operations
A midface lift is often discussed next to the facelift. A plastic surgery society explains the innovative techniques of the deep plane facelift, which shows how technique names differ. Ask your surgeon which technique is proposed and how it differs from the others you have read about.
Medicines and the ride home before the lift
Preparation steps
Ask what you must do in the weeks before, such as stopping medicines or arranging a ride home. The same society publishes a blog on how to prepare for your traditional facelift that gives a general idea of the questions to expect.
Repositioning the midface
Anesthesia for a midface lift
The operation begins with anesthesia. Ask which kind your surgeon plans for a midface lift and who is responsible for it during the operation.
Access and repositioning
Next the surgeon works through the planned incisions to reposition the tissue. Ask where the incisions will be and how the lifted tissue is held in place.
Closing the lift incisions
The incisions are closed last. Ask how they are closed and what will be on your face when you wake up.
The first days after a midface lift
Look, limits and the return visit
Ask how your face is expected to look and feel in the first days, which activities to hold off on, and which warning signs call for a phone call. Ask when you will be seen again.
Risks that apply to your case
Ask the surgeon to explain the risks that apply to your case. The society's page on facelift risks and safety is a place to begin.
Nonsurgical alternatives
If you want to avoid an operation, ask what nonsurgical options exist for your goal. A hospital system describes the nonsurgical facelift as a general introduction to those options.
Lift, volume or both on your own face
Decide first whether you need a lift, volume or both, and ask your surgeon to show you why on your own face. Only a surgeon who examines you can say whether a midface lift fits your case.