Can I Have a Facelift if I Am Fat?

Facelift/Necklift is still a good option for the heavier patient.  As long as your health is stable, blood pressure is normal, and you don't have any significant health issues, a face or necklift can create a very nice improvement in the overall contour of your face and neck.  The surgery would probably entail some extra work to remove and sculpt some of your excess fat, but should create a smoother jawline, sharper neck angle, and decreased jowling.  However, the heavier patient needs to have realistic expectations and understand that it is impossible to change a very full face into a thin, angular one. But that said, we can still correct and improve a lot of the aging changes such as sagging, looseness, and jowling that is really what you describe.

A #facelift is a surgical procedure designed to remove the major folds and wrinkles that form on our faces with age. Gravity, sun damage, smoking, living in a dry climate, and a variety of factors contribute to the aging process of our faces. Facelift techniques vary from patient to patient to give each person a procedure tailored to produce the best possible surgical result. A facelift will smooth out major folds and #wrinkles, #tighten the tissues beneath your skin, remove #sagging and excess skin. A facelift can also reduce excess skin around the #neck and #jawline. There is not just one facelift procedure, but a whole range of facelift procedures. These different techniques have been developed over the years, involving different incisions and lifting the skin to varying degrees. A facelift may also involve the tightening of certain muscles and tissues, or liposuction of areas such as the jowls or chin.It is important to understand that facelifts are meant to remove major folds and wrinkles, not fine wrinkles. A facelift which removes every line and fold would be too aggressive and would result in an unnatural result. Fine lines and wrinkles are better addressed by skin treatments such as chemical peels or microdermabrasion, which we also offer at our office. During your #consultation, your skin texture and elasticity, as well as your underlying skin structure and your facial bone structure will be evaluated. Based on this evaluation, your board certified plastic surgeons will create a custom surgical plan, detailing specific techniques and recommendations to meet your goals. In doing so, he or she should be sure to have a full understanding of what results you expect.If you are not a #candidate, your surgeon can make other suggestions to address your concerns and objectives.

   In an otherwise healthy patient, being overweight to an extent is not an absolute contraindication to a face and necklift.  If you have the stigmata of facial aging that are amenable to modern facelifting techniques, you will likely have the improvement you seek.  Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who has performed hundreds or thousands of facelifts.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Being overweight is not a contraindication for surgery as long as your weight doesn't seem to vary much. For example, if you are not planning on losing or gaining more than 15---20 pounds than you may be a good candidate for this surgery.

Lots of overweight people have facelifts.  Fat in excess in the neck can be removed and patients will look thinner as well as younger.  This often is a psychological springboard to actual weight removal.

I doubt that you are too fat to see improvement, especially if your main concern is in your neck. Choosing the right procedure(s) is what counts. Go for some consultations with reputable surgeons. Good luck.

I commend you for choosing healthy daily habits. Since you’ve maintained your weight, it’s possible to have a successful facelift if your overall health is good. One of the main health issues a qualified facial plastic surgeon looks for is analyzing your risk of undergoing anesthesia/IV sedation to determine candidacy. We’d want to discuss your goals and realistic improvements. Keep up the good work.

 

A facelift can be performed on someone who is overweight.  It appears that your weight has plateaued for some time now and you are staying healthy with diet and exercise.  The overall result of your neck after a facelift or face and neck lift will also greatly depend on your neck anatomy and location of bony/cartilaginous structures.  You will likely require significant contouring with liposuction.  Seek a facelift specialist for a complete evaluation and treatment plan.  

Thank you for your question.

Yes, it is  still possible to have a facelift even if you are on the heavy side. Some focused liposuction or excision of fat would possibly help the facelift.

To be sure, see two or more board-certified plastic surgeons in your area for a full and complete evaluation to make sure you are a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have surgery.  I hope this helps.

Yes

so long as you are healthy enough for surgery and your expectations are realistic you may be a very good candidate.

facelifts in heavy patients add an extra dimension - all facelifts require elevating soft tissue on the face. In a heavy person a facelift must also sculpt the soft tissues (fat) to improve facial form. The location where this is most important is in the neck, just below the jaw bone. In order to make a nice distinction between the neck and face the fat in that area needs to be selectively removd under direct vision ( in my opinion,ie I don't think that liposuction is precise enough in this area for most patients especially heavy ones.  Liposuction may be easier but in my opinion it is not better. ). I like to see the fat under the skin overlying the platysma neck muscle.  When it is  in clear view it can be sculpted with scissors carefully removing the parts that make the neck look indistinguishable from the face.  That which needed to be left behind is also precisely left behind.