The decision to have a facelift is extremely personal. You will have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals, and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure and any risks and potential complications.

The risks include:

• Anesthesia risks
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Poor wound healing and skin loss
• Facial nerve injury with weakness
• Temporary or permanent hair loss at the incisions
• Fluid accumulation
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
• Persistent pain
• Unfavorable scarring
• Prolonged swelling
• Skin irregularities and discoloration
• Sutures may spontaneously surface through the skin, become visible or produce irritation that require removal
• Unsatisfactory results may include: asymmetry, unsatisfactory surgical scar location and unacceptable visible deformities at the ends of the incisions. (It may be necessary to perform an additional surgery to improve your results)
• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications

These risks and others will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It is important that you address all your questions = directly with your plastic surgeon.

If your surgeon uses fibrin sealants (tissue glue): Fibrin sealants (made from heat-treated human blood components to inactivate virus transmission) are used to hold tissue layers together at surgery and to diminish post-operative bruising following surgery. This product is carefully produced from donor blood plasma screened for hepatitis, syphilis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Cardiovascular and general surgeons have used fibrin sealants in their procedures for many years. This product is thought to be of help in diminishing surgical bleeding by adhering layers of tissue together.