Face lifts
(Also, Short Scar Facelifts, and Mid Facelifts)
Best Candidates:
- People with some sagging of the cheeks, jowls and neck who want to look younger and fresher. "I look old in the mirror, but I feel young inside."
What's special about my approach:
- I study each face carefully (comparing it to photos of the patient when younger) to arrive at an individualized plan. Each face ages differently.
- I perform all surgery myself.
- My highest priority is to leave the patient looking fresher without any pulled, tight, windswept, or artificial look. The spirit and the expression of the face must remain intact. The result must be natural.
- Most people don't realize that it is primarily the shape and volume of the face that makes it look young. A face can be free of wrinkles and still look old if it is flat and hollow.
The most important determinants of a youthful, fresh, vigorous appearance are:
- a clean jawline and a thin smooth neck.
- high, full cheeks
- a smooth lower eyelid
- a short upper lip with the upper teeth showing. (If the lower teeth show, the face looks old.)
BOTOX® injections can lift the corners of the mouth and soften upper lip lines. BOTOX® can be a good adjunct to a facelift.
The Procedure:
A facelift corrects aging of the cheeks, jowls and neck. Pulling the skin has nothing to do with a good face-lift. Pulling the skin yields a tight, artificial look. The skin is simply an envelope. The sagging deep tissues such as the fat, fascia, and muscle need to be elevated and re-draped to their youthful position. The youthful face is shaped like a heart. That is why it is so important to lift the sagging tissues and recreate the fullness of the upper face. Once this is done, the excess skin is removed without tension. This double layer approach produces both a natural and a long lasting result.
The key recent advances have been in the treatment of the central face between the lower eyelids and the corners of the mouth. The malar fat pad is lifted to enhance the cheekbones and to smooth the nasolabial folds (lines on either side of the mouth).
Scars:
- The usual facelift incisions are hidden inside and behind the ear and the scars are inconspicuous. The hair is not shaved during the procedure.
- For the younger patient, a minimal scar or short scar facelift is appropriate. This avoids any scar behind the ear.
- Women who have good jaw lines and necks may only need lifting of the central face. This mid-face lift avoids the facelift scars altogether.
- Some patients only need a neck lift, which is done through a short incision under the chin.
Combination Facial Procedures:
The procedures listed below are frequently performed alone or in conjunction with a facelift:
- Upper Eyelid Surgery
- Lower Eyelid Surgery
- Browlift
- Laser Resurfacing
- Fat Injections
- Lip Augmentation
- Rhinoplasty
- Facial Implants
- BOTOX® Injections
- Restalyne Injections
- Cosmoplast (Human Collagen Injections)
- Skin Care
Recovery Time:
With anti-bruising medication and gentle handling of the tissues, the recovery is fairly quick. Most patients are presentable two weeks after a facelift.
Update on Scarless Midface Lift in New York City
