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Should I Lose Weight Before a Facelift?

asked 2 years ago by Dilee
Latest answer by Ronald J. Edelson, MD
Question viewed 1,039 times
Tags: age 55-64, female, weight loss

I have lost 40 pounds and have 20 more to go (55 yo female). When I first lost 20 pounds everyone kept telling me how young I looked. I would get looks. Then I lost 40 pds and no one even looks at me. I am afraid to lose the last 20. I had a round face with chubby cheeks and still have a round face. But some of the volume is gone it is making me look older. Will a facelift give me a youthful look again? Should I lose 20 more pds? I feel like gaining 20 pds to look younger. Ha!

17 answers to Should I Lose Weight Before a Facelift?

Weight Loss before Facelift

If your primary care physician feels that you should lose an additional 20 pounds to benefit your health, do this before your facelift. As you have seen, weight loss will change facial contour. Then do the facial rejuvenation procedure that meets your needs.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Weight loss

It is in any case desireble to loss all possible weight before any plastic surgery procedure but not everybody can do that. When the patient get spable in the weight loss the surgery can be executed and the patient will be satified. Also the disposition of the fat in the body is diferent in everybody and some patient even when they are not obese the have deformities like doble chin than make them look hevier than what the BMI is so this surgery will... more

Alejandro J. Quiroz, M.D.
Mexico Plastic Surgeon

Facelift and Weight Loss

Thanks for asking a great question. The simple answer is that you can proceed with a Facelift right now if you like, as long as you understand several things. 1) A Facelift on a patient at ideal body weight is technically easier, and the healing process is faster, 2) The results tend to be more dramatic when a patient is at ideal body weight, 3) In a patient above ideal body weight, a Facelift can make you appear as if you have lost weight, especially if the neck is... more

Stephen Prendiville, MD
Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drprendiville.com

Facial Rejuvenation with Cosmetic Surgery after Weight Loss

Congratulations on the weight loss! First, do not make any major changes to your face as your weight continues to improve. Once your weight has stabilized, then you can face lift surgery, if it's appropriate. The face naturally changes in appearance as a direct result of changes in weight. The face may loose signs of youth by loosing volume during weight loss. Treatment may include cosmetic surgery, such as a face lift. However, facial enhancement may be with fat transfer or... more

Houtan Chaboki, MD
Washington DC Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.potomacplasticsurgery.com

Weight loss before facelift

It is ok to proceed with a facelift. To optimize the results of your facelift, it would not be necessary to lose more weight. Thank you for the question, and best of luck to you.

Paul S. Nassif, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift after weight loss

Since weight loss is for your health, lose whatever weight you need to obtain your healthy goal. Once you have achieved this, then have the facelift to move the remaining fat back to where it belongs and remove the excess skin. If necessary, you may have to add some local fat to the face. This will give you the best possible outcome, a healthy body and a youthful face.

Robert T. Buchanan, MD
Highlands Plastic Surgeon

Weight before a facelift

Go get the face lift now. The extra 20 pounds really does not effect the outcome. But if you truly are going to lose it than lose it NOW. From MIAMI DR. B

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss and face lift

I would recommend that you lose your weight first, and be sure to keep the weight stable. Yo yo diets will only tend to weken the results and may lead to premature recurrence of aging.

Scott E. Kasden, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss and facelifts

You should be 10-15 pounds of your proper weight before cosmetic surgery in my opinion. If you lose too much weight after surgery, yor result might loosen up and you might look sickly or gaunt. As Dr. Aldea has said, you might have already lost too much weight.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Fat and weight loss in facelifting.

There is a balance between too much and not enough fat in the face. See an experienced facelift surgeon who can examine your skin and fat and tell you which is best for YOU!

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

When is Weight Loss NOT helpful before a Facelift

Life and all its components should be a balance. While weight loss is indicated in the obese, excessive weight loss results in a sick or dying appearance which is far from attractive. The youthful face is NOT obese but rather full of curves. It is NOT the face we see in Marathon runners or people afflicted with AIDS or cancer. The latter manifest facial wasting with loss of fullness - an appearance which needs to be avoided. Ideally, you should lose weight gradually (not rapidly) and... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Facelift and Weight Loss

It is true that as you gain or lose weight, your face can change dramatically. Everyone looks better with more volume in their face - it is more natural and youthful. If you lose another 20 lbs., you will definetely see a big difference in your face. The question is whether a facelift will help improve restore the lost volume or not. There are ways to do this with specific fat rearrangement, grafting, etc., but would be something to discuss with your surgeon. ... more

Christopher V. Pelletiere, MD
Barrington Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss before or after a facelift

Congratulations on your weight loss! It is very natural for you to appear younger when you are at a heavier weight because your face is filled out with the extra fat in your face which means that any lines and/or wrinkles are not as noticeable. As you have experienced once you lose the weight, you lose some or most of the volume in your face and between the loss of the fat and the loss of elasticity in your skin the result makes you appear older than you did previous to losing the... more

Arnold Zweig, MD
Atlanta Facial Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss and facial rejuvenation

A couple of comments although you need to work with an experienced plastic surgeon and internist to see how you should proceed. Weight loss is for health not to just be a certain weight. Each person's health may be impacted by weight in various ways. I recommend a patient to be as fit as possible in a healthy, stable lifestyle. The weight is a secondary issue. You don't have to suffer and live a miserable life to achieve a target weight. If you are fit, the extra 20 pounds may not be... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Losing weight before or after a face lift

You should lose weight in a healthy fashion AND exercise to achieve a desireable BMI. This could be competed under the guidance of a nutritionist. Behavior modification is essential. In my opinion, I would advise achieving a stable weight prior to the facelift. Losing weight after the procedure could result in an altered appearance or result including lax skin. Facial volume can be restored or augmented with fillers, fat, or soft tissue rearrangement.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Lose weight before facelift

Many patients ask me if they should lose weight before a facelift. If it's a matter of losing twenty pounds, it simply will not make any difference. Having the facelift performed in and of itself will make you look like you've lost weight. Losing an additional twenty pounds after the facelift should not cause it to sag. I say go for it now and enjoy the new you.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss before facelift

Without any pictures, it is impossible to tell how youthful your facial features are from losing 40 pounds of weight. What matters is that you are at a stable healthy weight. If your face becomes gaunt, too thin, and narrow, cheek augmentation or silastic cheek implants can be considered. This is done if you still want to keep your full cheeks after your weight loss.