A study reported in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery offers a protocol plastic surgeons can apply to reduce post-facelift hematomas.
The retrospective study, led by Rod J. Rohrich, M.D., Dallas plastic surgeon and professor of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, involved more than 1,000 of Dr. Rohrich’s facelift patients over several years and is based on a multifaceted anti-hypertension regimen used to reduce hematomas. In the study, Dr. Rohrich and his co-authors share a regimen plastic surgeons can apply to reduce postoperative facelift hematomas.
The regimen, designed to address patients’ pre-operative health and how their body reacts during and after facelift surgery, includes the use of general anesthesia with both preventive and responsive hypertension medicines to keep blood pressure below 140 mmHg during and after surgery.
Lowest Hematoma Rate Ever
According to medical literature cited in the study, incidences of hematomas during and after facelifts range from 2% to 8% in women and as much as 13% in men. The protocol used by Dr. Rohrich before, during and after facelift surgeries resulted in hematomas in less than 1% of the 1,089 patients — a rate, according to the study, that’s the lowest ever formally recorded.
The study notes that high blood pressure is a well-known risk factor for hematomas, and that though medical literature includes reports by plastic surgeons demonstrating the importance of hypertension control in conjunction with facelifts, it includes little in terms of specific protocols for reducing the risk of hematomas. This study provides guidelines that can enhance facelift results and safety with this cosmetic procedure.
Dr. Rohrich told PRWeb.com, “This safety-outcomes study supports the idea that strict blood-pressure control significantly reduces the likelihood a patient will develop a hematoma. Our positive results also suggest the regimen we used could be used by others to help control the occurrence of hematomas after facial surgery.”
