Facelift - Facial Implants - Facial Liposculpting

Facelift

The techniques for facelifting have undergone a revolutionary change in the last decade. Although traditional rhytidectomy corrects the double chin and jowl, it does little for the deep crease between the upper lip and the cheek. The crease deepens with age, extending from the corners of the nose to the mouth, sometimes continuing down to the chin. These difficult to treat areas known as the melolabial folds may be improved with midface lifting and with injectable fillers like fat.

The midface is that portion of the cheek extending from the lower eyelids to the corner of the mouth. With midface lifts, the facial skin, muscles, and fat of the cheeks are elevated and tightened as one unit, with melolabial folds flattened in the process. Small quantities of fat may also be injected into the midface to enhance fullness of the cheeks.  Rhytidectomies which include the midface along with the lower face often produce a more natural appearance than more traditional facelifts. Newer techniques such as sub-SMAS dissection (which is in a deeper tissue plane than traditional facelift surgery) are used to insure a non surgical natural appearance to the lower face.  These techniques may also provide results which have greater longevity than traditional rhytidectomy.

As with all facial plastic surgery, good health and realistic expectations are prerequisites. Rhytidectomy is sometimes performed on patients in their thirties, and successful surgery has been performed on patients in their seventies. A facelift cannot stop aging, nor can it turn back the clock. What it can do is help your face appear its best and give you a look of health and a more rested appearance.

For the first week after surgery, you may engage in relaxed activities, and then begin to resume normal activities the second week.  Sutures are removed from 5 to 10 days following surgery, at which time make-up may be used.  You may shower and shampoo within 48 hours of surgery.  Full daily activities, including exercise and returning to work, may begin 2 weeks after surgery.  Final healing may take up to 3 months.

Click here to view Before & After photos of facelifts

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Contact us for more information on facelifts.

Facial Implants

Ideal facial beauty starts with an ideal bone structure. This can be achieved by sculpting and contouring your existing bony framework or by adding to the facial skeleton using facial implants. Two common procedures are chin augmentation (mentoplasty) and cheek augmentation. A mentoplasty can bring a receding chin into better harmony with other facial features and create a more pleasing facial balance. Because mentoplasty can improve the results of a facelift and rhinoplasty, it is sometimes done in conjunction with these procedures. Cheek augmentation with an implant can correct flat or underdeveloped cheekbones. It may also be helpful to correct a sunken appearance to the cheeks resulting from aging or acne scarring.

For mentoplasty, an incision is usually made under the chin in a pre-existing skin crease after a local anesthetic has been injected. An implant is placed beneath the soft tissue at the point of the chin to enhance the chin’s projection. For cheek implants, the incision is made inside the mouth between the cheek and upper gums. You will see improvement right after surgery, though some swelling is to be expected.  Some surgeons prefer to utilize a bone advancement technique to correct an underprojected chin.  Discussing the options with your physician at the time of your initial consultation will enable you to make the decision best suited for you.

Click here to view Before & After photos of facial implants

Click here to view the animation video
Contact us for more information on Facial Implants.

Facial Liposculpting

Another way to improve ones facial appearance is through facial liposculpturing. This is a way of removing fat from your neck to refine your jaw line. Sculpturing is performed by either direct fat removal or with liposuction which is accomplished by your doctor using a special machine.

Liposuction is frequently performed in conjunction with facelift surgery, but it may be performed by itself.  When this procedure is performed as an independent surgery, it may be done under a local anesthetic in our office treatment room.  A small incision is made under the chin and a device is inserted to remove the excess fatty tissue.  A light compression dressing is then applied to the area.  Within a few days of outpatient surgery, the dressing is removed and you are allowed to resume easy activities. Within a week, you may commence full activities.

Contact us for more information on Facial Liposculpturing.

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