Facelift Q&A: Mr Ruben Yap Kannan

Q1. What is a deep-plane facelift and how does it differ from other facelift techniques? 

A. Deep-plane facelift is the current state-of-the-art technique, and the whole idea is that when you lift do a facelift, you are going deeper and therefore catching up more tissue. And one of the traditional things in facelifts when people first started doing them is that they had the misconception that the face was just skin. And the face is not just skin, it's skin fat and the proportions. And essentially, if you think of it, if you take only the very superficial layer and you just pull the skin, it gives you a what's called a wind-swept effect. The whole idea of doing a deep-plane facelift is by going deeper. You're also capturing a lot of the fat and the skin and all the ligaments, which are important to keep things where they are. And essentially it gives a much longer lasting facelift. It also looks more natural, and it's also done in conjunction with the neck as well, usually. So that the whole idea here is to give you a holistic 360 improvement in your facial aesthetics rather than one aspect of it. And that's the beauty about the deep-plane facelift. And I tend to do it in conjunction sometimes with structural fat grafting, neck lift, high specfication. 

Q2. Who is an ideal candidate for a deep-plane facelift? 

A. I would say that it depends on the patient and what I wouldn't want to paint broad strokes. Everyone is different. Every person is different; every face is different. So, what I do is I analyse each person's face. I normally go back to the old photographs and try to at least match some of the aspects, not everything, but some of the aspects that we can improve on. And also, be honest that some things cannot be done, and it's best to be honest upfront, so you get a very realistic view.  

So, the ideal candidate is someone who fits the right physical properties and characteristics and that we can do something to help, I can do something to help, but also they have to have the understanding of what can work and what can't work. I'm not Harry Potter, but I will be honest with you, and there are many things that can be done well, and it's a discussion. So it's, you know, a team effort, what you expect and what we can offer, and hopefully we can meet the middle to achieve a good result. 

Q3. What can I expect during the recovery period? 

A. I take longer doing my facelifts because I take a lot of effort to putting things back the way they were. So, I use very fine sutures, sub particular sutures, the whole idea is to make it look as though you've not had a facelift. So beyond outside the hospital, I don't know you. So the thing is that we are trying to make it as seamless as possible. The stitches are all dissolvable, by setting hidden behind the hairline and in a way that is looking distinct and that's the way it should be. Of course, if things sometimes don't go to plan as sometimes they do, then of course be assured that here at The McIndoe Centre, my service will always be there for you to address whatever issues there are. And it's a journey and we can work on it.  

Equally, please be assured that if you do not need a facelift, I will tell you so, there are alternatives as well. Not everyone needs a facelift. And I think the ideal number of facelifts you should have in your life is one, it's not an operation you want to revisit again and again. So, there are other things that can also be done, which we can also advise you a good, honest opinion and hopefully everyone will come out better. 

Q4. What are the potential complications? 

A. Facelift surgery is a good operation, but sometimes things may not go to plan, as in life, not everything you do turns out well. But the important thing to do is to understand that if things don't go well, like for example, after a facelift your face can swell up, it's important to know that sometimes you get numbness around your cheek or worse still you're not able to smile properly or you lose expression. This is one of the, although rare, potential complications of facelifts. So here at The McIndoe Centre we take all the steps necessary, I take all the steps necessary, we have a nerve monitor that may incur an additional charge, but it makes the operation safer.

You are having your operation done by someone who is an expert, a global expert, on facial nerve surgery. And one of my guiding principles is I only operate on someone if I can also manage the complications. And I think that's the ethos shared here at The McIndoe Centre. So either way, through your journey, we will take you through the other side. There may be ups and downs, but we'll be here, and we can help you sort it. But we are also honest upfront, and I think that element of trust is what I value the most. And I hope this will help you make a decision on who to choose, when to have it and where to have it.