What is a facelift?

The facelift is a surgical procedure that lifts and tightens skin and facial tissues to rejuvenate the face, to make the face look younger. Multiple related procedures can correctly be referred to as a facelift. All such procedures sculpt and reshape the face to lift and tighten the tissues. Incisions are generally hidden around the ears and hairline. The facelift, mini-facelift, mid-face lift and related procedures use hidden incisions to lift and redrape the facial skin and the tissues just underneath the skin. This can dramatically but naturally reshape the face and neck to restore a youthful appearance. Additional procedures like eyelid lifts and brow lifts are often used with the facelift. In my practice, a necklift  almost always accompanies a facelift. Facelifts, in my opinion, do not obviate the need for Botox(TM), Dysport(TM), or injectable fillers like Restylane(TM), Radiesse(TM), or Juvederm(TM). Botox(TM) and Dysport(TM) temporarily paralyze or weaken muscles, reducing wrinkles caused by scowling or frowning. The injectable fillers, as the name implies, fill wrinkles to make them more shallow, less noticeable. They can also be used to restore youthful volume to sunken cheeks, camoflage early jowls along the jaw line, and reshape the nose (non-surgical rhinoplasty). The injectable techniques compliment the facelift because they accomplish different goals. They achieve better results together, than either can alone. I commonly use fat injection with the facelift. Fat is gently removed with liposuction from the belly or thighs then carefully reinjected into the parenthesis skin fold, cheeks, lips, and other areas to restore youthful volume. Similarly, laser facial resurfacing with the CO2 laser, can reduce wrinkles and sun or smoking damage, to smooth and tighten the surface texture of the skin. This improves the texture of the skin in a way that the facelift alone cannot. Patients who have good facial structure (minimal droop of the cheeks and other tissues) but who have sun damage and deep wrinkles, may be candidates for the laser alone. By finding the right combination of surgical, non-surgical, and laser treatments for your individual goals and needs, a natural and dramatic result can be achieved. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at www.drgoldman.com or info@drgoldman.com.