Facelift for Pound Ridge, NY

A single day away from home

Bellava’s own facelift page names Pound Ridge among the Westchester communities its facelift patients travel from, and for them the operation itself takes just one day. It is done as an outpatient procedure in Bellava’s surgical suite, accredited by The Joint Commission, at 182 Route 117 Bypass Road in Bedford Hills, and you sleep in your own bed that night. Each way the journey is about nine miles from the Pound Ridge Town House — some 19 minutes without traffic along Route 137, Route 172, Route 22 and Harris Road. Here is that day, step by step.

In the surgical suite

1. Anesthesia. Bellava performs facelifts under local anesthesia with sedation.
2. Incisions. Dr. Chang Soo Kim works through incisions placed within the hairline and along the natural creases around and behind the ears, where they fade with time.
3. The chin and jowls. Where fat under the chin blurs the jawline, liposuction removes it at this stage.
4. The supporting layer. Under the skin lies the SMAS, a layer of tissue that gives the cheeks, jowls and neck their shape. Tightening and repositioning it is what lets the face be lifted from within rather than pulled tight at the surface.
5. The skin. Only what is left over after that deeper lift is trimmed, and the incisions are closed with dissolvable stitches.
6. Anything added to the plan. Fat can be grafted into cheeks that have flattened, and laser resurfacing can be done to improve the skin itself.
7. Ready to go home. Small drains go in behind the ears and a supportive neck garment goes on, both to keep swelling down in the neck and lower face.

The first week back in Pound Ridge

You will need someone to drive you home. Through the first week the neck garment stays on, and after that it is worn at night for a while longer. Bellava describes the recovery as quick, with minimal bruising, and any that remains can usually be hidden with make-up. If fat grafting or resurfacing was part of the plan, those areas need at least two weeks of simple care at home; the grafts are gently massaged.

Your surgeon

Chang Soo Kim, MD, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and belongs to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. He earned his medical degree at the Yale School of Medicine and completed his plastic surgery residency at Yale–New Haven Hospital. Facelift patients see him and his own team from the first consultation through every follow-up visit.

Pound Ridge patients ask

Where are the check-ups? In the same Bedford Hills building where you had surgery, so each one is the same short drive west.

Can my eyelids or neck be treated on the same day? Often, yes. A facelift is frequently paired with eyelid surgery, and a neck lift deals with bands and loose skin on the neck directly.

Who is a good candidate? People with loosening skin along the jaw and neck, deeper creases beside the nose and mouth, and cheeks that have lost volume. Non-smokers and those with less sun damage tend to heal towards a better result.

How do I start? Request a free consultation with the button on this page, or call or text; the patient coordinator rings you back to arrange it. Read the main facelift page and browse Dr. Kim’s results beforehand.