Everything You Need to Know about a Face Lift Consultation at The Lucas Center

Published by Dr. Jay Lucas, MD, a board-certified surgeon with over 20 years of experience.

Key Takeaways:

• Your facelift consultation includes a personalized evaluation of your facial structure, skin, goals, and overall health.
• Dr. Lucas typically separates facial rejuvenation into an upper face lift and a lower face and neck lift, and he will help determine which approach fits your needs.
• Complementary procedures, such as fat restoration and skin resurfacing, may be performed at the same time to enhance your results.
• Look for a board-certified surgeon with extensive experience, positive reviews, and proven results.
• Come prepared with your goals, medical history, and questions so you can make an informed decision.

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Have you found yourself looking in the mirror noticing signs that you need a face lift? Perhaps you’ve caught yourself pressing your fingers to your face, or pulling your skin tight, to envision a younger-looking you.

It’s okay — you’re not alone! Time and gravity take their toll on every face, and it’s natural to notice the effects (and to imagine reversing them!).

Perhaps you’ve pondered getting a face lift or even researched it online, but for whatever reason, you haven’t taken the next step.

In fact, sometimes the hardest part of changing something about your appearance or taking the next step to a more confident you is just… well, starting! It can feel intimidating or vulnerable to think about going to an unfamiliar place and telling a stranger that you want to make a big change.

So, let’s help remove some of the uncertainty… Here’s a run-down of what a face lift consultation with Dr. Jay Lucas is like at The Lucas Center.

What Happens During a Face Lift Consultation at The Lucas Center?

From your first step into The Lucas Center, it’s our team’s goal to welcome you and help set you at ease. Then, when you meet with Dr. Lucas, you’ll receive a personal evaluation, discuss your specific goals, and, as needed, compare different procedures and/or surgical techniques to help you make the best choice for you.

Here’s what that will look like…

What Will the Surgeon Evaluate During Your Consultation?

Dr. Lucas takes the time to thoroughly understand and examine you so that you can get the best face lift results! This means he’s going to analyze the following things:

• Skeletal alignment of the jaws and midface
• Overlying skin quality and elasticity
• The individual fat pads of the face
• The perioral region (the area around the mouth)
• Facial musculature
• Neck anatomy, including skin quality, fat distribution, and the anatomy and activity of the platysma muscle
• An overall health assessment

Discussing Upper and Lower Face Lift Options with Your Surgeon

A wonderful thing about working with Dr. Lucas is that your cosmetic surgery will be very customized to your goals and your needs. Rather than a single “face lift,” Dr. Lucas generally groups facial rejuvenation into two procedures:

Upper face lift: This addresses the brows, the upper and lower eyelids (blepharoplasty), and the structures around the eyes, such as the cheek fat pads. Dr. Lucas performs this as a stand-alone procedure.

Lower face and neck lift: This addresses the age-related downward shifting of tissue, including jowling and excess skin in the neck. It is often paired with fat restoration of the midface, nasolabial folds, pre-mandibular spaces, and perioral region, along with skin resurfacing.

Dr. Lucas usually performs the upper face and the lower face and neck as separate surgeries, because combining them would make your time in the operating room excessively long. Occasionally, he performs a limited lateral face lift (sometimes called a mini face lift), but he does so rarely.

Discussing Complementary Procedures with Your Surgeon

Since nearby areas can affect your ultimate results, Dr. Lucas may also recommend procedures that complement your face lift, such as fat restoration to replace lost volume or skin resurfacing to improve skin texture.

Whether these are a fit, and whether they can be combined with your surgery, are very individual decisions. Dr. Lucas will be happy to discuss all the options and a surgical plan that fits your goals.

How Do You Know You’re Consulting With the Right Face Lift Surgeon?

Finding the best surgeon for you is not just a matter of personality. Naturally, you want to work with someone who is friendly and puts you at ease. Those are the “soft skills” you look for during a consultation, when your surgeon should welcome questions, answer them thoroughly and clearly, and truly listen to your concerns and desired results.

But it’s important to make sure that the surgeon you choose for your face lift also has the crucial credentials or “hard skills” to help ensure a safe, successful outcome.

Credentials to Confirm During Your Consultation

In addition to doing your research online, you can ask your surgeon in person to tell you about their credentials and experience. Proof of those “hard skills” should include:

• Up-to-date board-certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)
• Many years of experience performing plastic surgery
• Dozens or hundreds of successful face lift procedures performed
• Plentiful positive testimonials and positive reviews from patients
• Real-world before-and-after pictures of face lift patients.

We’ve written more about what makes a plastic surgeon board-certified and highly qualified here.

Here’s How East Tennessee Patients Can Prepare for a Face Lift Consultation

Before sitting down with a surgeon, it’s important that you get clear about your goals (although a good surgeon can kindly help you adjust them if they’re unrealistic). You may also need to gather some information to bring with you. Plus, it’s a good idea to do a little research on ballpark costs for a face lift in order to know whether this may be financially feasible for you, whether you pay it all up front or use financing. Lastly, it’s a good idea to make a list of the questions you’d like answered.

What Should You Bring or Know Before Your Appointment?

Since consultations may vary somewhat from practice to practice, when you make your appointment, it’s a good idea to go ahead and ask what you’ll need to bring with you.

Regardless, at a minimum, it’s a good idea to bring/know:

• Your desired results
• A current list of medications
• Your health history (medical conditions, past surgeries, allergies, etc.)
• Family health history

What Questions Should You Ask During Your Face Lift Consultation?

You likely have your own particular set of questions you still need answered. We recommend coming to your appointment with a list so you don’t forget any during the actual consultation — although some of the questions may be addressed by the surgeon even before you ask them!

While this list will likely be personal to you, it might include things like:

• In what facility will my face lift be performed?
• What kind of suturing technique do you use?
• Do I have to wear a compression garment afterward? For how long?
• If I decide to book the procedure, how far out are you scheduling?
• When is the best time for me to have this procedure?
• If I’m typically the primary caregiver, will I need childcare during my recovery?
• What happens if I don’t like my results?
• What will my scars be like?
• What are the risks of surgery?
• How long will my results last?
• Will the sensations in my face feel different post-surgery?

A trustworthy surgeon should take the time to answer all your questions so you can move forward with confidence!

What Will Your Surgeon Cover During the Consultation?

Every plastic surgery practice may handle their consultations just a little bit differently. But here are several of the major topics you can expect Dr. Lucas to discuss with you in a consultation at The Lucas Center:

Recovery Timeline

Taking it easy during recovery and caring for yourself well is crucial to achieving the desired results, so you can expect recovery expectations and timeline to be an important topic.

Scarring and Post-Operative Care Expectations

Typically, Dr. Lucas will explain his surgical process to you, as well as how he discreetly hides incisions to minimize scarring. He’ll also explain and answer any questions about post-op issues like bandages, sutures, medicines, bathing, follow-up appointments, etc. But don’t worry: you don’t have to remember all the post-op info yet; you and a loved one will also be given detailed post-operative instructions before leaving the hospital the day of your surgery.

Cost and Financing Information

After you and Dr. Lucas have developed your customized surgical plan, you will be given a specific cost estimate and information about financing options. We are happy to help connect patients to CareCredit and PatientFi to help with affordability and financial planning.

Next Steps After Consultation & Where to Begin Your Journey

After your consultation, the next steps will be up to you! If you’re still pondering whether a face lift is a good fit, you’ll likely need to go home and sleep on it for a bit. That’s perfectly understandable, and our team never wants to pressure or rush you into anything.

However, if all your questions have been answered satisfactorily, you sense that Dr. Lucas is a good fit for you, and you’re excited to move forward, our office staff will be ready to help you pick a date for your surgery!

For now, if you’re ready to simply dip your toe in and have a consultation with Dr. Lucas, we’d love to help! Call us today at (865) 217-0572 or reach out online to get started. We can’t wait to help you on your journey to confidence!