Many people are interested in acquiring facelifts — or any facial plastic surgery, for that matter — but are unsure when the best time to get one is. Truth be told, the best time to undergo surgery is the end of the year; more specifically, within the fall season. Here are 4 reasons why you should look into getting cosmetic surgery during that time of the year!

1.  Perfect for the Holidays

The remaining months at the end of the year are home to many holidays and extended weekends. With cosmetic surgery performed in the fall, you can become the star of any upcoming event, whether it is a party or a get together with family and friends. Show off a much more fresh, youthful, and rejuvenated face for your Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas gift-openings, or the New Year’s celebration.

2.  Time Off from Work

However, those who are not such a fan of holiday parties, can still look forward to the allotted time off from work, which is perfect for recovering from a potential cosmetic surgery. Recovery from cosmetic procedures are considered surprisingly quick, with most people returning to work in a mere several days to 1 week. With fall having so many holidays and extended weekends, take advantage of the additional time the holidays usually offer.

3.  Layered Clothing

Along with fall and winter’s colder temperatures, comes bulkier clothing and people bundled up in more layered clothing than usual. It is perfect for concealing any possible changes that are made, bandages that might have otherwise been exposed, or any signs of bruising or swelling. With significant signs of cosmetic surgery going unnoticed, this will allow yourself to go out and about with additional confidence throughout this fall season.

4.  Protection from the Sun

One of the essentials of recovery is avoiding any strong or direct sunlight. While it is true that Vitamin D is vital for the body when healing wounds, the Sun’s UV rays can actually damage recovering skin. Too much exposure to the Sun can cause burning or inflammation to the scars, permanently darken portions of the skin, and can cause painful swelling. With the fall causing frequently cloudy weather, and the sun being more concealed, this should not be as much of a problem as it would be during the spring or summer months.

What Exactly is a Facelift?

            A facelift, which is also called a ‘rhytidectomy’, is known for being one of the most common facial plastic surgeries in the world. In fact, it is so common in the US, that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reported a total of 123,685 facelift procedures being completed in 2019 alone. Many people get this procedure done to lift and tighten any saggy or loose skin that might be present on the face, jowls, neck, and jawline. Oftentimes, the procedure is combined with others, like the browlift, neck lift, or eyelid surgery, in order to touch up the entire face.

           There are multiple types of facelifts. The ‘traditional facelift’ is a great option for those who have loose skin or wrinkles around the lower portion of their face. Over the years, the ‘deep plane facelift’ was pioneered; a procedure that adjusts not only the skin and tissue, but also the muscles and fat underneath, making the treatment much more effective for combating the effects of aging. Fortunately, one top facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Joseph Russell, who offers the deep plane facelift, was generous enough to let us sit down and ask him some questions. Dr. Joseph Russell is a board-certified surgeon from Charleston, South Carolina, and a member of multiple academies. Here is what he had to say about the facelift procedure:

Question: What time of year do most people undergo facial plastic surgery?

Answer:  It depends on the procedure, but I do tend to see spikes in interest around winter holidays, because patients can often combine a holiday with vacation time to get the time off, they need to have their procedures and recover comfortably.

Question: How do you perform a facelift?

Answer: I strictly perform deep-plane facelifts because this technique produces vastly superior and longer-lasting results compared to the traditional SMAS-type facelifts.

Question: Does the facelift procedure leave the patient with any visible scars?

Answer:  Every surgical incision always leaves a scar.  However, with the deep plane technique, there are no visible scars—no one will be seeing them, except perhaps your hairstylist.  The key to hiding scars is placing them within the hair and around the ears and having minimal tension on the incisions as the heal.  The deep-plane technique lifts the deeper structures of the face that are drooping, so that the skin closure has minimal tension, and this helps tremendously in keeping the scars hidden.  With other facelift techniques, there is a great deal of tension placed near the skin incisions, which can later transmit to the incisions, and result in visible scars.