Around Hollywood the popularity of the facelift derives largely from its ability to hide the effects of aging. A celebrity who does not "look" his or her age generally finds that it is easier to fill the needs of a movie director. Loose skin can be tightened and reshaped by plastic surgery. Any unwanted fat on the face can be removed. The transformed face invites a second look from casting directors.



Some peculiarities of the movies aggravate the effects of aging. Some demands placed on actors lead to the development of less than desirable facial characteristics. At one time, almost every movie showed people smoking. Smoking can alter the shape of a face. The effects of smoking can be corrected with a facelift.

While the transformations created by cosmetic surgery can help to further an actor's chances for career advancement, they can also expose the actor to certain risks. In addition, the recovery from a facelift can not take place overnight. Following the surgery, bandages must remain on the face for five days. Yet even the removal of the bandages does not mean that the actor's face will meet a director's expectations.

Facial skin under the surgical bandages will not have the normal skin color. Only after another four to five weeks will the color loss produced by the plastic surgery disappear. During that time, the puffiness in the face will subside. During that same period, an actor who has had cosmetic surgery might wish for a tanned face.

An actor might get pressure from his or her director to hasten, if possible, the rate at which color returns to the once-bandaged face. The actor should resist such pressure. Exposure of a recently-bandaged face to sunlight can delay, rather than hasten, the healing process. The director needs to work with the surgeon, in the same way that the plastic surgeon seeks to help Hollywood directors.

The cosmetic surgeon who works on many celebrities understands the importance of a well-placed scar. A film star does not want a true scar to show-up on the silver screen.

Still a Hollywood film star seldom needs to feel concerned about the fact that a facelift creates a long incision in the area of the hairline.

The surgeon who performs a facelift on a Hollywood star has good reason to place any incision along the hairline. When a surgeon has cut along the hairline, few people will ever note the existence of any resulting scar. In that way, the surgeon can achieve a considerable reduction of the potential risks associated with the acquisition of a facelift.

Of course the surgeon must still remember to cut carefully during the facelift procedure. Neither the actor nor the director looks forward to the need for corrective surgery.