Second-time facelifts as safe as first ones.

• Position: Cosmetic Surgery - Reasons to smile

Facelift recipients have yet another reason to smile while looking younger, thanks to a study finding that a person's second facelift is as safe as the original procedure. The 101 study participants, ranging from 40 to 81 years old, with an average age of 60, experienced a two percent complication rate. This is comparable to first-time facelift patients, who, on average, are younger and healthier. Moreover, despite 75% of the participants choosing to have additional procedures during the facelift--such as laser resurfacing and eyelid surgery--the second-time facelift patients experienced no additional significant complications.

"With the increasing population of facelift recipients, the plastic surgery community has started to see not only older patients, but also patients coming back for a second facelift," indicates Alan Matarasso, clinical associate professor of plastic surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. "Through this study, we found that secondary facelifts in older patients combined with added cosmetic procedures are safe. However, we also found there are special considerations with older patients such as medical conditions and surgical techniques"

A more-extensive medical evaluation prior to surgery is the first step to ensure a safe procedure with older...