facelift

facelift A surgical procedure that is designed to make the face appear younger by pulling loose facial skin taut and tightening and repositioning the underlying facial musculature. Excessive skin and/or fat may be removed during the procedure. Supplemental procedures—including necklift, blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), autologous fat injection, forehead lift, and browlift; chemical or laser peel; and malar (cheek), submalar, or chin implants—may be necessary to achieve the desired results. Although they are infrequent, risks and complications of facelift surgery include bleeding; hematoma; bruising; infection; neurological dysfunction (loss of muscle function or sensation), which is usually temporary; widened or thickened scars; loss of hair around the incision site; asymmetry (unevenness between two sides); and skin necrosis (loss of skin due to tissue death). Also known as rhytidectomy.