Facelift for New Castle, NY

Arrive with a written list

A facelift changes the part of you that everyone sees first, so the consultation deserves a list of questions written down beforehand. The eight below are worth asking any surgeon you are considering, and Bellava’s answers follow each one in italics. Your consultation would be with Dr. Chang Soo Kim at 182 Route 117 Bypass Road in Bedford Hills, about 15 minutes without traffic from the middle of New Castle by the Saw Mill River Parkway. Bellava’s own neck lift page already counts New Castle among the places its patients come from.

Eight questions

1. Who certifies you, and where did you train? The American Board of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Kim earned his medical degree at the Yale School of Medicine and did his plastic surgery residency at Yale–New Haven Hospital.

2. Which layer will you actually lift? The one under the skin. Working through incisions around and behind the ears, Dr. Kim tightens and repositions the SMAS, the supporting tissue that holds up the cheeks, jowls and neck, and trims surplus skin only after that.

3. Where will the scars sit? Inside the hairline and in the natural creases around the ear, where they fade with time.

4. Do I need a full lift, a mini lift or a neck lift? Bellava performs all three. When the trouble is mostly at the neck — bands, a double chin, loose skin — a neck lift may be enough. Dr. Kim tells you which once he has examined you.

5. What anesthesia, and do I stay overnight? Local anesthesia with sedation, as an outpatient, so you go home the same day. The stitches dissolve on their own.

6. What does the first week look like? A supportive garment for the neck is worn throughout it, then at night for a while longer, and bruising can usually be hidden with make-up.

7. Can my eyelids or skin be done in the same operation? Often. Dr. Kim commonly pairs a facelift with eyelid surgery, with fat grafted into hollow cheeks or with laser resurfacing. Grafted and resurfaced areas need about two weeks of care at home.

8. Would something non-surgical do for now? Perhaps. For early to moderate ageing, Bellava suggests its liquid facelift, using fillers with or without Botox, with results that typically last 12 to 18 months. Surgery suits laxity that is further along.

Who tends to do well

Men and women whose skin has loosened along the jaw and neck, whose folds beside the nose and mouth have deepened, or whose cheeks have flattened. Not smoking and having less sun damage both work in your favour.

New Castle patients ask

Can I see results first? Yes. Look through Bellava’s before and after gallery before your visit, and ask Dr. Kim about any photo you would like explained.

How is the consultation arranged? It is requested rather than booked online. Use the Request a Consultation button, or call or text, and Bellava’s patient coordinator calls you back. It is free and private. The main facelift page and Dr. Kim’s background are worth reading first.