A Stitch in Time

By: Peter Paterson
Created on 16th February 2010

Mr Peter Paterson FRCS, surgical director of Sandon House Clinic in Preston, talks us through the LA Facelift, a procedure he pioneered, which promises all the benefits of a facelift at half the price and with a fraction of the downtime

In the past, facelifts were the domain of the rich and famous - ladies of leisure, who could afford to hide away for several weeks to allow the wounds to heal, before unveiling their glamorous new look to the world.

These days cosmetic surgery is available to all, which is great news in many respects, but sadly most of us cannot afford to take the twomonth sabbatical required to recover from a full facelift.

 Several procedures have cropped up over the years to address this problem, including the short scar facelift and the MACS lift, both of which use minimal incision - and therefore minimal scarring - resulting in a reduced period of downtime, but both are carried out under general anaesthetic.

My view has always been that patient safety should be prioritised above all else, and if it is possible to perform a procedure under local anaesthetic, why risk general anaesthesia? So I have combined elements of both the short scar and the MACS facelift in what I believe to be a unique procedure - the LA Facelift, so-called because it is performed under local anaesthetic.

The main differences between the LA Facelift and the traditional, or full, facelift are that it is performed under a local anaesthetic, reducing the risk to the patient and it offers a vastly reduced period of downtime - I always recommend taking a week off work but, whilst I would never advise this, I have known patients go out shopping on the afternoon of the operation.

The following diary extract details a patient's experience in the days and weeks following an LA Facelift and explains better than I can the benefits of the procedure, but as far as I am concerned, the results are practically indistinguishable from those of a full facelift and are just as enduring.

To get the best results from the LA Facelift, I usually recommend a course of Pixel laser treatments after the procedure, as you often find that once the skin has been tightened, blemishes and inconsistencies in skin tone become more obvious.

Patient Diary

9th August 2008

Had my LA Facelift operation today. I was a bit nervous but excited at the same time. I knew I had to go ahead with the operation - if I didn't have it done now I never would. The first thing the doctor did was inject my face which wasn't too bad, just a little injection on my cheeks and the front of my
ears. The operation itself didn't hurt, I just felt a little pulling, but the nurses and surgeon were chatting all the time, and so was I!

After the operation I went into my recovery room and had a cup of coffee and a sit down, but within 20 minutes I was on my way home. My face feels a bit tight around the front of my ears and upper cheeks. The area around my ears is a bit swollen, but I have been told this is only temporary.

17th August 2008

The swelling has gone and my face looks great. It feels so smooth and firm along my jaw line and cheeks, but not so noticeable that anyone can really tell. People just keep saying what a good job Mr Paterson has done. My scarring is slightly red and I have to watch that I don't lift anything too heavy - and make sure I sleep on my back.

31st August 2008

Face is great, everyone keeps telling me how well I look. I still feel a bit numb on my cheeks and next to my ears.

16th September 2008

Going on holiday, so am putting e45 cream on my scars, plus a bit of concealer. It still feels a bit tight around my ear area. Depending on what I do sometimes it feels tighter.

24th September 2008

Back from holiday. No problems, but had to make sure I put plenty of sun block on my face. Still using e45 cream.

30th September 2008

Had a check up at the clinic, Mr Paterson said all was looking good and the scars are healing well. He showed me a photo of myself before the op (didn't realise I looked that bad!). Feel so much better.

30th October 2008

Still feels a bit tight at the front of my ears and it's a bit numb. Just a slight pink scarring now. It's looking good. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, especially as it lasts so long.