Dr. Laurence Kirwan is one of the most experienced Board Certified Plastic Surgeons in Norwalk, Connecticut, and in the entire country. He is a recognized international leader in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He offers a superior level of knowledge, care and understanding to help you achieve the youthful, vibrant and contoured look you desire.
Dr. Kirwan’s Facelift Philosophy
I often hear the phrase “I look so much older than I feel!” When I hear this, I know without a doubt that the patient in front of me would benefit from a facelift.
Moreso than any other procedure, a face-lift is about turning back the clock. Advanced aging, a prolonged illness or weight loss can make us aware that we no longer look our best. Expressions such as “I am beginning to look like my mother” are also common. You may feel you always look angry or tired or that your partner and you have a visual age disparity when other people see you together at social events. Or you may have the ‘Mommy-at-the-school-gates’ syndrome, when you are an older mother interacting with other mothers who are 10-15 years younger. Special events such as your child’s wedding or graduation, or changing jobs in mid-life, can also precipitate a decision to have a facelift. Sometimes grandchildren will play with the waddle in your neck! These days, Selfies, Videoconferencing and Facetiming make us even more self-aware.
Waiting for face-lifting surgery until you are 65 and then going in for the “works”, expecting to come out looking natural and 20 years younger, is unrealistic. The most natural results are achievable at a younger age such as between 45-55. I can and do achieve beautiful results in patients as old as 80, but the result will never be as good as it would have been twenty years earlier.
It can be difficult to accept that you have finally reached an age when non-invasive skin-tightening and a syringe of Botox or filler will no longer suffice. In fact, one way to decide if you are ready for a facelift is when non-invasive procedures fail to give you a result that you are happy with. Another decision point is when the accumulated cost of your regular injectable and other treatments exceeds the cost of a facelift. That’s when it’s time to see me for a serious conversation about how we can make you look as young as you feel.
SEE THE TRANSFORMATIONS & BEAUTIFUL RESULTS
Before & After Photos
58 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Chin Implant, Laser Around Mouth and Lower Lids, Upper Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Tissue Filler in Lips
58 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Chin Implant, Laser Around Mouth and Lower Lids, Upper Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Tissue Filler in Lips
57 year old, Facelift, Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Endoscopic Browlift
57 year old, Facelift, Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Endoscopic Browlift
45 year old, Facelift, Chin Implant and Upper Blepharoplasty (eyelids), 10 months
45 year old, Facelift, Chin Implant and Upper Blepharoplasty (eyelids), 10 months
60 year old, Facelift, Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chemical Peel Lower Eyelids
60 year old, Facelift, Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chemical Peel Lower Eyelids
60 year old Facelift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chin Implant, Rhinoplasty, Chemical Peel of Lower Eyelids and around Mouth, 4 months
60 year old Facelift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chin Implant, Rhinoplasty, Chemical Peel of Lower Eyelids and around Mouth, 4 months
60 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Chin Implant 4 months after surgery (cropped for privacy)
60-year-old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Chin Implant 4 months after surgery (cropped for privacy)
56 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chin Implant, 2 years after surgery
56 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chin Implant, 2 years after surgery
57 year old Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chin Implant, 6 months
57 year old Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chin Implant, 6 months
76 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), 1 year
76 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), 1 year
59 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chin Implant, Rhinoplasty, 2 years after surgery
59 year old, Facelift, Endoscopic Browlift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chin Implant, 5 months after surgery
54 year old Facelift, Upper & Lower Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chemical Peel Around Mouth, Chin Implant, one year
78 year old, Facelift, Upper Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chemical Peel Around Mouth & Lower Eyelids
78 year old, Facelift, Upper Blepharoplasty (eyelids), Chemical Peel Around Mouth & Lower Eyelids
What Can I Expect from a Facelift?
A facelift is the gold standard for facial rejuvenation – no other procedure or combination of procedures is more effective at restoring youthful contours to the face. After a facelift with Dr. Kirwan, patients can expect rejuvenation of the lower face from the temples to the lower neck, and improvement of midface sagging, marionette lines, jowls and double chin. The procedure includes a neck lift which addresses the protruding bands often seen in the aging neck. A facelift is frequently combined with a browlift, eyelift or any of the other adjunctive and additional procedures mentioned below.
The terms “mini-facelift”, “lunchtime facelift” or similar terms are often used by dermatologists and non-plastic-surgeons. They imply a lesser procedure with a quicker recovery and shorter scars. The problem with these “mini” procedures is that the results are usually “minimal” and of “minimal” duration, leaving the patient feeling like they have wasted time and money. I do not perform a “mini-facelift” except as a secondary procedure to correct skin relaxation after a standard face-lift. This can occur in someone with extreme facial skin laxity and early relaxation. While rare, this most often occurs in someone who is having their first facelift in their late sixties or older.
What is the Best Age to Get a Facelift?
There is no set age. Having said that, in general it is best to intervene before unwanted signs of aging have begun to take over. In my practice, the average patient has their first facelift between the age of 45 and 65 years of age. For those who have taken a more aggressive anti-aging approach, such as regular Botox users and those who avail themselves of advanced skincare technology, the need for a facelift may present later than is typical. Likewise, as we live longer and more vibrantly than ever before, I am welcoming many more patients who do not fit the typical facelift patient profile. Many of these patients have never even had Botox and are seeing a plastic surgeon for the first time in their 70s and 80s!
What Makes a Kirwan Facelift Unique?
There are no shortcuts when it comes to achieving a durable natural result but there are ways to make the journey as pain free and pleasant as possible. Some of the techniques Dr Kirwan has honed to improve your experience and outcome include:
- ‘Pre-tunneling’ with a small liposuction cannula to reduce tissue trauma and limit skin elevation to maintain skin blood supply and improve healing.
- Hidden scars with recreation of a natural contour in front of the ear
- A natural earlobe contour without a ‘pixie’ earlobe deformity.
- Extreme care to insure you can wear your hair however you like – even a super-short haircut!
- Invisible scars in your scalp, not below the hairline behind the ear or in front of the sideburn.
- Liposuction of the neck, only when necessary.
- VISTASEAL Fibrin Sealant – tissue glue, to reduce bleeding and allow for a smooth directional skin ‘re-draping’ during surgery without tell-tale ‘guy-rope’ tension lines.
- Repair of platysmal bands (neck bands) under the chin and recreation of a youthful neck contour.
- Permanent deep sutures for a durable result.
Hi, I’m Dr. Kirwan. I’m plastic surgeon in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Welcome to my website on plastic surgery, and in particular, this page on facelift and neck lifting.
I’m certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. I’ve been in practice for over 25 years, and during that time, I’ve operated on literally thousands of women who have sought me out for facial rejuvenation procedures. Please check over this page for the details of the procedures that I offer.
Call my office for a consultation. I look forward to seeing you. Thank you.
Every Patient is a VIP
From your first consultation through your last follow-up visit, you will see Dr. Kirwan himself at every single appointment. He will be available to you before, during and after your procedure.
Call Our Office For More Information
Surgical Time and Recovery
- Surgery takes four to six hours depending on the number of procedures performed at the same time. A facelift by itself usually takes three to four hours to perform.
- Drains are not routinely used unless a submental platysma-plasty is performed. Dr Kirwan uses small, soft, painlessly removed drains that come out after 48 hours. Dr. Kirwan sees all his facelift patients the day after surgery, without exception.
- Stitches are dissolvable and do not need to be removed. Staples are used in the scalp. These are painlessly removed between seven and ten days.
- The patient can go back to work in 10-14 days. Light exercise is permitted at two weeks (walking). Return to the gym at four weeks (light exercise: heart rate up to 100 pulses per minute). Full exercise is allowed at six weeks (heart rate up to 140).
- It is important not to lift heavy bags or do household work such as making beds. For the first three weeks after surgery avoid putting your head down below your heart (squat instead).
- Don’t drive for at least one week. Make sure that you can turn your head safely to see when you drive. Turn your head together with your shoulders, rather like C-3PO of Star Wars fame. Make sure you can wear a seat belt comfortably! It may chafe on your neck.
Facelift local with conscious sedation
Hi, I’m Dr. Kirwan, and welcome to my website on plastic surgery, and in particular, this page on facial plastic surgery and facial rejuvenation procedures. Did you know that we do most of our procedures here in our accredited surgical facility using local with conscious sedation? This means that patients have a quicker recovery, they have a lower incidence of nausea and vomiting, and a lower risk of bleeding. Please call my office for a consultation. I would love to see you and talk about the facial rejuvenation procedures that I offer.
Benefits of Conscious Sedation
Almost all facelifts are performed under local anesthesia with conscious sedation (LACS) in Dr. Kirwan’s Quad-A accredited surgical suite in Norwalk, Connecticut. There are many advantages of LACS versus a general anesthetic.
- Stable blood pressure without dangerous fluctuations caused by inducing and reversing a general anesthetic.
- Significant reduction in risk of a hematoma.
- Significant reduction in nausea and vomiting after surgery.
- Less pain because of local anesthesia.
- A quick recovery after surgery, allowing for discharge after 30-45 minutes instead of the 2-3 hours after general anesthesia.
- Elimination of pressure areas from prolonged immobility under general anesthesia.
- Elimination of risks of blood clots (deep vein thrombosis or veno-thromboembolism VTE).
- No sore throat or cough from the endotracheal tube.
- No dangerous spikes in blood pressure caused by shivering as a result of hypothermia induced by general anesthesia.
BOARD-CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON IN NORWALK, CT
10,000+ surgeries performed
Dr. Laurence Kirwan is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Norwalk, Connecticut. He is an international leader in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery of Face, Breast & Body. Because of his international experience, he understands an enormous variety of techniques which he utilizes to individualize the result for each patient.
He has been listed as Top 20 Plastic Surgeons worldwide by Vogue magazine. Celebrities trust Dr. Kirwan for cosmetic makeovers. He is recognized for introducing his own pioneer procedures and training other surgeons. Dr. Kirwan uses special techniques to reduce trauma or scarring.
Conveniently Located
Our Norwalk, CT location is conveniently located in between Manhattan, New York and New Haven, Connecticut. Patients regularly visit from across Connecticut (Stamford, Greenwich, Fairfield, Westport, Bridgeport, Darien, New Canaan, Trumbull), New York City and Westchester County (Manhattan, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Harrison, Rye, Armonk, Bedford, Pound Ridge), New Jersey and other neighboring cities/towns for their plastic surgery procedures. Our office is close to all New York Airports for patients who are coming from out-of-state or other countries.
