Facelift

Facelift in Richmond With Dr. John Zinsser

While aging is an inevitable part of life, there are many facial rejuvenation treatments to enhance your appearance and slow the visible signs of aging. As the gold standard of facial rejuvenation treatments, a facelift is more than removing excess skin. Facelifts restore a more youthful appearance to the face and neck by tightening and reposition the structures beneath the skin.

As facial rejuvenation is a considerable investment in your appearance, you deserve a provider with unparalleled expertise and compassion who takes the time to understand your needs. With over 20 years of unmatched experience and the drive to help patients achieve their aesthetic goals, Dr. John Zinsser consistently delivers high-quality results, making him your choice as the best facelift surgeon in Richmond.

Reclaiming your youthful appearance with the best facelift in Fredericksburg, VA, is easier than ever! Contact Zinsser Plastic Surgery to schedule your consultation at (804) 474-9805 or complete our online form today.

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World-Class Results

Over 25 years of Experience

Whether treating patients in their 20’s or 70’s, Dr. Zinsser believes the key to providing world-class results is an individualized approach to patient care.

What Can a Facelift Accomplish?

The face goes through natural changes as we age. Skin starts to sag, and once-youthful features lose definition. Rather than changing your appearance, a facelift, also known as a rhytidectomy, can help refresh and enhance your appearance, so you look rested and revitalized. 

As every patient is unique, Dr. Zinsser uses various surgical techniques to create balanced, beautiful, natural-looking results. He bases his individualized approach on your rejuvenation goals. Facelifts can improve your appearance by:

  • Smoothing away lines and creases
  • Minimizing heavy folds on the face
  • Removing excess, sagging skin
  • Repositioning lax neck and facial skin
  • Redefining a jawline or neck hidden by drooping jowls

With his artistic eye, Dr. Zinsser understands subtle choices make drastic improvements to your appearance. Due to his incomparable experience, Dr. Zinsser targets only your specific concerns, taking care not to leave you looking overdone or expressionless. 

Whatever your facial rejuvenation goals, Dr. Zinsser takes the time to understand, recommending only the procedures that will provide you with natural-looking results.

Am I a Good Candidate?

The passage of time affects our appearance, particularly our faces. For patients seeking an effective, long-lasting approach to facial rejuvenation, a facelift may be the ideal option. 

Dr. Zinsser suggests facelift candidates should:

During your consultation, Dr. Zinsser will discuss your goals and concerns, review your medical history, and consider all treatment options to determine your candidacy. If you are a good candidate for a facelift in Richmond, VA, Dr. Zinsser will develop a procedural plan to achieve your aesthetic goals.

Is a Facelift Right for Me?

The effects of aging can often negatively influence your self-esteem and decrease your overall sense of wellness. However, you can slow, and even reverse, the signs of aging with the best facelift in Richmond and regain confidence in your appearance. Following a facelift, most patients look 10 to 15 years younger. 

Following your facelift in Richmond, you can expect: 

  • Sleeker facial contours
  • Tighter, younger-looking skin
  • Long-lasting results

Ideally, a facelift should provide a natural but improved facial appearance. Many patients considering a facelift are worried about their skin looking too tight, or as if they have had work done. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. John Zinsser has an edge over many other facelift surgeons. With a natural artistic eye, surgical skills, and patient commitment, Dr. Zinsser produces beautiful, youthful results without a tight-looking or overdone appearance.

Why Choose Dr. Zinsser as My Richmond, VA, Facelift Surgeon?

One of the most critical factors in any successful plastic surgery is choosing the right surgeon. With over 20 years of extensive training and experience, ABPS board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. John Zinsser prioritizes your health, safety, and outstanding results. His commitment, education, and consideration make him your choice as the best facelift surgeon in Williamsburg, VA. 

Dr. Zinsser’s chief objective is to provide exceptional, individualized patient care to help patients gain confidence and renewed self-image through plastic surgery. At Zinsser Plastic Surgery, our goal is to help you feel comfortable in your skin — you will never feel pressured. Instead, you’ll feel comfortable, educated, and empowered to make decisions about your body.

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The Results You Desire
The Respect You Deserve

Zinsser Plastic Surgery provides a level of patient care that is unparalleled. We blend compassion, skill and the latest surgical techniques to create a signature experience that is unique in our field.

Dr. John Zinsser believes the keys to providing world-class results lie in a completely individualized approach to patient care. At Zinsser Plastic Surgery, you will be treated as the unique individual you are, and your treatment plan will be customized specifically for you. 

What Can I Expect During a Facelift Procedure?

Dr. Zinsser customizes each facelift in Richmond to suit your needs. Here are some general steps you can expect during the procedure.

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Check-in

After our team greets you and checks you in, Dr. Zinsser will evaluate you and perform surgical markings. He will ensure you are comfortable before entering the operating room. Once you are safely resting under anesthesia, Dr. Zinsser will begin your facelift.

Facelift Procedure

Following your procedural plan, Dr. Zinsser will create small incisions that are well-concealed within the natural creases of your hairline and along the edge of the ear. He uses these incisions to tighten muscles and remove excess skin and fat. 

Facelift surgeries last approximately three to five hours, depending on your procedural plan.

Facelift Aftercare

Following your facelift, you’ll need to wear soft bandages or wraps around your face at all times except when showering for the first 2 weeks, then at night for the next 2 weeks or more based on your rate of healing. Swelling and bruising are common following facelift procedures, but they will gradually improve.

You will need someone to drive you home from the hospital and stay with you for at least the first 24 hours. Dr. Zinsser will meet with you five to seven days after your procedure to ensure proper healing. 

As with any plastic surgery, following post-procedural instructions regarding limitations for physical activities, cleansing, and sun exposure is fundamental to ensuring optimal results from the best facelift in Richmond, VA.

How Soon Will I See My Richmond Facelift Results?

The extent of your procedural plan will determine the length of your healing process. You will experience bruising and swelling following your facelift in Richmond that may obscure your results for the first few weeks. Your face may take two to three months to feel normal. As your face heals, your visible improvements become more noticeable. 

With optimal treatment, you can expect to enjoy the results of your facelift for approximately 10 to 15 years.

Schedule Your Facelift Consultation Today!

Refresh your appearance, look younger, and boost your confidence with the best facelift in Richmond! With Zinsser Plastic Surgery, you will get natural-looking results you desire with the respect you deserve. 

Partner with one of the best facelift surgeons in the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Williamsburg areas. Contact Zinsser Plastic Surgery at (804) 474-9805 or complete our online form to schedule your facelift consultation today.

The Results You Desire...Today!

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Richmond, VA, Facelift Procedure FAQs with Dr. Zinsser

Pre-Op Assessment

The average age of facelift patients is in their 50’s-60’s. Remember a patient has had to live long enough for time, gravity, and “life” to have changed their appearance enough for them to undergo surgical facial rejuvenation.

A deep plane facelift was a technique developed many years ago that included dissection in the deeper tissues and even down to the layer on top of the facial bones. It was eventually determined that this technique did NOT produce better results, and only increased a patient’s risk of developing complications, including nerve injury. Today this procedure is not the primary procedure that most plastic surgeons perform for facelift.

The term SMAS stands for “Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System” and is the strong fascial layer that is deep to the subcutaneous layer under the skin and invests the facial muscles. It is this layer where changes are made during a facelift that produces the youthful, refreshed appearance and corrects the effects of aging of the face.

Traditional face lifts address the lower 2/3’s of the face, which includes the cheeks and around the mouth, and along the jaw-line and the neck. A “mini-facelift” usually just deals with the middle third of the face, which is just the cheeks and the area around the mouth and below the level of the eyes.

Be sure to have all your questions prepared, upload any pictures you may want us to review in advance, and provide all your history to the portal so that we have as much information about you before the consultation. Have your skin in an optimal condition and wear minimal make-up on that day so that Dr. Zinsser can evaluate your skin accurately. Be prepared to also look at before and after pictures of other facelift patients we have operated on.

In most cases, it takes me around 3 to 3 ½ hours to perform the typical facelift.

There will be instructions provided to you at your pre-operative visit by our staff, as well as information provided by the hospital staff before your surgery day. You will need to get everything that is routine for you done BEFORE surgery (laundry, shopping, bills, house cleaning) so that the next 2 weeks or so all you must do is follow the recovery instructions to ensure the best possible outcome.

Due to the nature of facelifts, the cost of a facelift in Richmond depends on each patient’s needs. During your consultation, Dr. Zinsser will determine a more accurate facelift cost in Richmond. 

Performing surgery on cigarette smokers carries increased risks and are related to blood supply issues and wound healing problems. This could be devastating and significant if a patient develops wounds and scars from vascular compromise and a less than ideal cosmetic result that can leave them with deformities that are life lasting. It is best to discontinue smoking at least 2-4 weeks before surgery and wait until you are 4 weeks after surgery if you must go back to smoking.

There are several non-surgical treatments that our Aesthetic staff provides, and medical grade skin care products available, that can help a patient look and feel their best. However, it is important for patients to realize that non-surgical treatments do not offer SURGICAL results and are usually part of a long-term regimen to help them look and feel their best. We offer microneedling, chemical peels, laser facials and treatments, Radiofrequency, IPL, laser hair removal, Botox® and dermal fillers, and many other products and services that can help a patient look their best.

A liquid facelift is a reference to autologous fat grafting that can add volume and improve tone and balance, and the appearance to your face. In the office setting, dermal fillers and other similar products can be placed in areas to address fine lines and wrinkles, and even add volume to the mid-face that improve skin tone, and result in a more youthful, rejuvenated appearance with the need for surgery in the right patient.

Post Op Recovery

I suggest patients count on 4 weeks before they get back to social activities, and they MUST wait 4-5 weeks before they get back to physical activity or exercise. There are drain tubes placed that are removed within a few days, and patients begin to shower daily and change light dressings and use an elastic compression strap on their face for 2-4 weeks as well.

This varies with each patient, but I suggest to all patients that they count on about 4 weeks before they start to get back to social activities such as dinner at restaurants, museums, book club, etc.

I ask patients NOT to exercise for 4-5 weeks after a facelift.

Most patients who work in an office setting feel comfortable about getting back to work around 2-3 weeks after surgery. If a patient has a physically demanding job, I recommend waiting about 4 weeks.

This varies with each patient, but I suggest to all patients that they count on about 4 weeks before they start to get back to social activities such as dinner at restaurants, museums, book club, etc.

You can expect a natural result without experiencing an “over-pulled” or unnatural appearance.

Nothing we do is permanent, including facelift surgery. However, there are things patients can do to ensure long lasting results, including taking good care of their skin BEFORE the surgery, and after the surgery. This includes seeing a Master Aesthetician for non-surgical products and services, limiting sun exposure, drinking plenty of water, eating well and getting regular exercise, and do not smoke or stop if you do.