Facelift FAQ & A With a Facial Plastic Surgeon – PART I

The decision to have a facelift has serious implications and must be considered carefully. At our Edgecliff practice, Dr Marcells works with patients one-on-one to ensure they understand every step of the process. He counsels them on realistic goals and reasonable expectations, as well as the medical side of this face-saving procedure.

Over time, we’ve identified the questions that facelift surgery patients most often ask.. You’ll find the answer in this 3-part series with Dr Marcells.

Facelift Basics

Q: I don’t want to sound dumb, but what is a facelift exactly?

You don’t sound dumb! With so many facial enhancement procedures available, you’re one of many, many people who are confused as to just what the term means. You already know that a facelift is designed to help you look youthful and rejuvenated, but how is it done?

When people talk about a facelift, they may be referring to:

• Full Facelift (rhytidectomy) – a surgical procedure that addresses facial ageing in the upper, middle, and lower portions of the face. It reduces sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles from the forehead through the neck.

• Deep Plane Lift – The innovative deep plane facelift has quickly taken its place as the pinnacle of effective facial rejuvenation. This extensive forehead-to-neck surgery lifts the entire face by repositioning deeper tissue layers. This helps accentuate the cheekbones, jawline, and neck. It is particularly useful for revitalizing the mid-face area, which does not respond well to other types of facelift. The results are dramatic and natural-looking, because there is no pulled skin. The results are also extremely long-lasting (10-15 years).

• Upper Face Lift/Brow Lift/Forehead Lift – This SMAS surgery tightens forehead skin and underlying muscles to reduce fine lines and wrinkles in the upper third of the face. It is frequently combined with an eyelid lift (blepharoplasty).

• Mid-Face Lift – A mid-face lift affects the area of the face from the cheekbones to the jaw.

• Neck Lift – A procedure that may be performed in conjunction with a mini lift, a neck lift addresses loose skin in the neck from the chin to collarbones.

• SMAS Lift/Mini Lift/Lunchtime Lift– A less invasive surgery that focuses on the skin, not the underlying musculature, the mini lift is recommended for people who have minimal skin sagging and less defined jowls. It does not address ageing in the lower face and neck. A lunchtime lift will need to be repeated every three to five years.

In a nutshell, a facelift is a surgical solution to eradicate tell-tale signs of ageing in the face and neck. Depending on the technique that is employed, facelift surgery can

• Remove excess sagging skin
• Smooth deep folds
• Erase fine lines and wrinkles

The specific technique Dr Marcells will recommend is based on his assessment of a patient’s bone structure and aesthetic goals. As a general rule, however, he prefers the Deep Plane Facelift, considered the gold standard in facial rejuvenation.

Q: Will a facelift stop my neck from looking like a turkey wattle?

A deep plane facelift is an extensive procedure that lifts the entire face by repositioning deeper tissue layers. Thread or “lunchtime” lifts have more limited benefits and do not produce an aesthetic tightening of skin through the neck.

Q: Is one facelift technique better than another?

Dr Marcells’ preferred approach to facial rejuvenation is the deep plane facelift. This technique is considered superior because it:

• Leaves few or no tell-tale signs that someone has undergone surgery
• Allows Dr Marcells to correct ageing effects of the face and neck
• Makes the face look rejuvenated, rested, natural, and more youthful

Facelifts and You

Q: Am I a good candidate for a facelift?

There are a multitude of reasons why a facelift may not be the right course of action for a patient. Patients who want to align their outer bodies with their inner feelings are excellent candidates. Patients who want to have work done because they think it will change everything in their lives for the better…not so much.

Facelifts have positive psychological results, but they are not intended to “treat” depression. A facelift is meant to correct troublesome signs of facial ageing including:

• Jowls
• Nasolabial folds (deep lines between the nose and corners of the mouth)
• Sagging neck line
• Fat deposits along the neck and jawline
• Crow’s feet
• Forehead lines

Facelifts and Your Age

Q: Am I too old to have a facelift?

Age is seldom the determining factor Dr Marcells considers when recommending that a patient have or delay facelift surgery. The exception is a request from a young patient whose features have not fully developed. The majority of patients at our Edgecliff practice are between 45 and 70.

More important than a patient’s age is his/her appearance. Some people age prematurely and may show visible signs of facial ageing in their 30’s. Other people are fortunate to age very slowly and may not opt for a facelift until they are in their seventies, or even eighties. Facial ageing is most influenced by

• Heredity
• Personal habits
• The long term of effect of gravity
• Sun exposure

What to know more? Be sure to read Part II and Part III of our three-part facelift Q&A.

Time for a Facelift?

Have you reached a crossroads? Are you dissatisfied with the anti-ageing results offered by non-surgical treatments, but aren’t sure whether a facelift is right for you? If so, please contact our practice in Edgecliff practice to schedule a consultation with Dr George Marcells. Call us anytime or use our easy online enquiry form.