A face lift aims to combat the sagging and wrinkles that are the signs of old age by stretching the surface of the skin to make it tighter. Female First look at how the procedure is carried out, how successful it is, exactly what the risks are and which celebs have been getting it done.

If you think of a face lift for most of us it's that stretched-face, fake looking Hollywood job that springs to mind. Back in the days when Joan Rivers and Jackie Stallone first went under the knife there was very little choice in how things were done but these days a patient can have tailor made facial surgery to suit their own individual needs- and look a lot more natural!

Cosmetic surgeon Dr Andrea Marando explains: “In the past patients that wanted facial rejuvenation had to go through a lot more trauma but now it is possible to tailor the operation on the patient.”

“So a patient comes to you and says I don’t like the little bit of jowling effect I have or I’m starting to see the lines and sagging around my eyes. Then we can decide do we have to do it all at once or can we do little by little?”

Dr Marando also tells us there are so many different procedures available at the moment that it's easy to get the look that you want or even work on your face bit by bit as you can afford it.

He added: “If a patient doesn't like the bags under the eye or the heaviness on the upper eye we can perform an eyelift. Or if they want to have a sharper jaw line she can have a minimally aggressive facelift which is called macs lift and this can be done on a local anaesthetic with the recovery of just one week.”

However for some people the best option is to go for a full face lift rather than going for several smaller operations as things deteriorate.

How is it done?

Traditional Facelift
This is the old fashioned way where a surgeon will cut right around the hairline in order to stretch the skin across the face.

Once the cut has been made the skin is seperated from the facial muscles, the muscles are then tightened before the skin is lifted up and pulled back. The excess skin is then trimmed away before the cut is then stitched back in place.

This method is the most aggressive but is believed to have the most dramatic affects. However it also has the biggest scar. Most scars can be easily covered by the hairline or carefully applied make up but a permanent line will always remain where the skin was cut from the face.

Minimal-access cranial suspension (MACS)
This uses the same principle as the traditional face lift but the cuts made around the face are smaller. This method is used when only small areas need to be operated on.

Making small cuts into the skin allows muscles to be tightened in specific areas without cutting all around the face. This method results in less scaring and gives a more natural finish but is not as effective on larger areas.

Keyhole surgery
This method involves even smaller cuts. The surgeon will make tiny holes in the skin and use specially designed instruments and a tiny camera on a tube to perform the operation. He will look at a TV screen to see what he is doing under the skin.

This method has the smallest scars and the least amount of trauma but it means only a small area can be operated on at a time and it can take longer than the other methods.

The Risks

It all sounds very easy and almost as simple as picking a new face of a shelf piece by piece. However, like most cosmetic surgery, when it all goes right it's great but when things go wrong it can turn into a bit of a nightmare.

The main danger with a face lift is the risk of infection after surgery. A face lift is an operation that involves cutting into your skin and like all operations it opens the body to all kinds of bugs and germs that it wouldn't normally come in contact with.

A reputable surgeon will obviously operate in a sterile environment but it's after the operation is complete that most people contract infections. Infections can cause prolonged swelling, redness and even permanent scarring.

Other complications include unexpected reaction to the anaesthetic, excessive bleeding or developing a blood clot, usually in a vein in the leg which can prove fatal.

The Celebs

Celebrities don't like to brag about their face lifts so it's hard to tell exactly who's been under the knife and who is just blessed as they head into old age.

Sharon Osbourne has spoken openly about her facial surgery and is proud of the natural results she got. Anne Robinson is another face lift success as she managed to knock years off her Watchdog look to re-invent herself for the Weakest Link.

It's not just the ladies either. Michael Douglas and Dale Winton have also had a nip tuck on their aging faces.

But it's not all good....Joan Rivers has often been mocked about her super-tight looking face after having several operations.

Socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein has earned herself the nick name Bride of Wildenstein after years of work on her face and £2 million have left her looking less than human. Donatella Versace is another extreme example of too much facial surgery.

Is it worth it?

A facelift won't stop time but it can put it back a little bit. Gravity will eventually take its toll on your face and you made need to think about having the operation again in about 10 years time.

The operation costs upwards of £4,000- and for highly experienced surgeons it can cost over £10k -so you need to weigh up the risks and the price and compare that to how badly you want the results.

There are alternatives to face lifts with results that can be almost as good. Watch this space throughout this month as Female First bring you details of all your options- surgical and non-surgical.

Caz Moss- Female First

A face lift aims to combat the sagging and wrinkles that are the signs of old age by stretching the surface of the skin to make it tighter. Female First look at how the procedure is carried out, how successful it is, exactly what the risks are and which celebs have been getting it done.

If you think of a face lift for most of us it's that stretched-face, fake looking Hollywood job that springs to mind. Back in the days when Joan Rivers and Jackie Stallone first went under the knife there was very little choice in how things were done but these days a patient can have tailor made facial surgery to suit their own individual needs- and look a lot more natural!

Cosmetic surgeon Dr Andrea Marando explains: “In the past patients that wanted facial rejuvenation had to go through a lot more trauma but now it is possible to tailor the operation on the patient.”

“So a patient comes to you and says I don’t like the little bit of jowling effect I have or I’m starting to see the lines and sagging around my eyes. Then we can decide do we have to do it all at once or can we do little by little?”

Dr Marando also tells us there are so many different procedures available at the moment that it's easy to get the look that you want or even work on your face bit by bit as you can afford it.

He added: “If a patient doesn't like the bags under the eye or the heaviness on the upper eye we can perform an eyelift. Or if they want to have a sharper jaw line she can have a minimally aggressive facelift which is called macs lift and this can be done on a local anaesthetic with the recovery of just one week.”

However for some people the best option is to go for a full face lift rather than going for several smaller operations as things deteriorate.

How is it done?

Traditional Facelift
This is the old fashioned way where a surgeon will cut right around the hairline in order to stretch the skin across the face.

Once the cut has been made the skin is seperated from the facial muscles, the muscles are then tightened before the skin is lifted up and pulled back. The excess skin is then trimmed away before the cut is then stitched back in place.

This method is the most aggressive but is believed to have the most dramatic affects. However it also has the biggest scar. Most scars can be easily covered by the hairline or carefully applied make up but a permanent line will always remain where the skin was cut from the face.

Minimal-access cranial suspension (MACS)
This uses the same principle as the traditional face lift but the cuts made around the face are smaller. This method is used when only small areas need to be operated on.

Making small cuts into the skin allows muscles to be tightened in specific areas without cutting all around the face. This method results in less scaring and gives a more natural finish but is not as effective on larger areas.

Keyhole surgery
This method involves even smaller cuts. The surgeon will make tiny holes in the skin and use specially designed instruments and a tiny camera on a tube to perform the operation. He will look at a TV screen to see what he is doing under the skin.

This method has the smallest scars and the least amount of trauma but it means only a small area can be operated on at a time and it can take longer than the other methods.

The Risks

It all sounds very easy and almost as simple as picking a new face of a shelf piece by piece. However, like most cosmetic surgery, when it all goes right it's great but when things go wrong it can turn into a bit of a nightmare.

The main danger with a face lift is the risk of infection after surgery. A face lift is an operation that involves cutting into your skin and like all operations it opens the body to all kinds of bugs and germs that it wouldn't normally come in contact with.

A reputable surgeon will obviously operate in a sterile environment but it's after the operation is complete that most people contract infections. Infections can cause prolonged swelling, redness and even permanent scarring.

Other complications include unexpected reaction to the anaesthetic, excessive bleeding or developing a blood clot, usually in a vein in the leg which can prove fatal.

The Celebs

Celebrities don't like to brag about their face lifts so it's hard to tell exactly who's been under the knife and who is just blessed as they head into old age.

Sharon Osbourne has spoken openly about her facial surgery and is proud of the natural results she got. Anne Robinson is another face lift success as she managed to knock years off her Watchdog look to re-invent herself for the Weakest Link.

It's not just the ladies either. Michael Douglas and Dale Winton have also had a nip tuck on their aging faces.