Facelifts can deliver a Flawless Look

It’s been said that if everyone in Hollywood that ever had plastic surgery went on vacation, there would be nobody left in town. The movie and television industry is well known for its obsession with looking young which has helped noninvasive procedures like fillers gain popularity in the celebrity world.  While fillers are more popular than ever before, they haven’t dethroned the champion of Hollywood plastic surgery procedures – the facelift. A facelift tightens the skin on the face that has started to sag as a person gets older. The result is a refreshed and more rejuvenated look.

Types of Facelifts

Even though fillers now last longer than ever and lift the face by adding volume, the facelift still holds the power in Hollywood. The art of performing a facelift has evolved and changed in the 21st Century.  In fact, there are quite a few techniques available to those who wish to have a facelift.

• A traditional full facelift is typically performed to address the more severe signs of aging on the face and to provide a more youthful appearance to a patient. A full facelift can treat the area below the eyes, sagging cheeks, lines around the mouth, excess skin, fat at the jowls and fullness under the chin. A full facelift treats a large area of the face so the incisions are longer than other facelift techniques. During this facelift procedure, the surgeon makes an incision along the temple, around the ears and down towards the neck. The surgeon will lift the skin on the face in order to remove any excess fat and skin. Then, the skin is sutured back to provide a tighter and more youthful look.
• A mini facelift is a good option for a patient who doesn’t need to undergo too much pulling of their facial features. A mini facelift is less invasive than a standard facelift because it involves smaller incisions and a shorter recovery period. The mini facelift also doesn’t provide drastic results that scream “FACELIFT” following the surgery. The more modest facial results of a mini facelift include a scar that is not very visible following the procedure. This form of facelift requires an incision that runs near the bottom of the sideburns to the cartilage that is between the cheek and the ear canal.  The incision goes into the crease in front of the lobe and then all the way to the crease that is found behind the lobe.  
• A facelift used to be as simple as the doctor pulling on the skin of a patient.  The old way of performing a facelift sometimes left the patient with a permanently startled look on their face. Luckily for modern-day facelift patients, surgeons have a better understanding of the face and how aging affects the features.  This knowledge has brought about a more blended type of surgery that has shown better results. The surgeon moves the skin as well as the underlying muscles while performing a fat grafting procedure during the actual facelift. The fat is harvested from different parts of the body and then injected into the parts of the face that need more volume. The injection of fat during the fat transfer portion of the procedure also reduces the amount of skin pulling done by the surgeon. Less skin pulling means less recovery time.
• A newer procedure is the use of bone paste during a facelift. Bone paste, AKA bone cement, was originally designed for use by orthopedic surgeries to fill-in holes found in bones. The bone paste is now used by a number of doctors across the country in facelifts. The bone paste is injected into the cheekbones and individually sculpted by the doctor. The cells of the patient mingle with the bone paste and the bone paste eventually becomes part of the patient.
• A non-surgical facelift is a combination of minimally invasive and non-surgical procedures designed to rejuvenate and refresh the appearance of the face. Compared with a surgical facelift, these techniques do not require large incisions, general anesthesia or overnight hospitalization. There are several non-surgical facelift procedures available to patients and each procedure is tailored to meet the unique needs of the patient. The variety of noninvasive techniques available address fine lines, deep creases, lax skin, thinning lips, sunken cheeks, large pores, acne scarring and the loss of facial volume. The procedures include options such as Botox and dermal fillers. It should be noted that non-surgical facelift results are not permanent so follow-up treatments will be necessary to maintain the results.

Consult with a Board-Certified Facelift Surgeon

Facelifts have evolved from a doctor pulling on the skin of a patient to a variety of options that are available on a daily basis. In fact, there are so many choices that it can be overwhelming for the average person to determine which facelift option is best for their situation. Consulting with a board-certified facelift surgeon is the best first step for patients looking to have the facelift procedure of their dreams. The doctor can examine the current skin condition of the patient and determine which facelift technique is the best choice to give the desired final results. 

- MA