I am 58 years old and my wife had a facelift 3 years ago. She looks great, and now I am thinking of having the surgery. How does the male facelift surgery differ from those performed on females?

One issue to consider is the design of the incision. Your wife had a post-tragal incision, meaning the incision was hidden within the natural contours of the ear. In a male, if this same incision is used, it may result in repositioning of your beard very close to the cartilage of the ear. If this occurs, laser hair reduction procedures may be of interest to you. However, if you have a skin crease in front of the ear, then this crease may be an excellent place for the incision; this will result in a well hidden, pre-tragal incision, and your beard will remain in a natural position. The other issue to consider is fact that men may have a higher incidence of blood collecting beneath the skin; this is referred to as a hematoma. Therefore, it is important for us to make certain that we minimize potential risks for hematoms, such as high blood pressure, use of aspirin and ibuprofen, prior to surgery. As well, I place drains to evaluate fluid collections beneath the skin for all male patients undergoing facelift surgery.