Facelift vs. Filler after Filler after Filler

Since it opened, About Face has helped a host of people win in their fight against visible signs of facial ageing. More and more of our patients are asking for injectables, and we think that’s wonderful. Cosmetic medicine provides facial rejuvenation in a flash, in some cases, and is perfect for a quick fix.

Of course, we also offer surgical facelift options, including the deep plane facelift, widely considered the most effective approach to facial rejuvenation.

Looking at Facial Fillers

The 21^st Century has seen an explosion of cosmetic injectables. Soft-tissue fillers are a collection of several types of injectables that are differentiated by:

• Ingredients
• Duration of effects
• How they feel after injection

“Fillers are a good option for addressing the wrinkles and larger lines that occur with facial ageing,” says Dr Marcells. At About Face, our injectors use fillers to:

• Smooth fine lines
• Augment soft tissue in the lips and cheeks
• Soften deep lines (like the nasolabial folds)
• Erase creases (marionette lines)
• Augment the facial bone structure

Cost Comparison: Facelifts vs. Fillers

Though far from “cheap,” cosmetic fillers are significantly less expensive than facelift surgery…in the short term. When you add up the cumulative cost of a series of injectables – most injections must be topped off every 3 months to a year – the annual price can top thousands of dollars.

“A facelift performed by an expert facial plastic surgeon can actually turn out to be less expensive in the long run,” observes Dr Marcells.

Facial Fillers Can’t Do Everything

Facial fillers are amazing, but they are not magical. While they are amazing at treating things like forehead wrinkles or lost lip volume, they do not address the problem of loose, excess skin. “Fillers may be able to delay the need for a surgical procedure, but no cosmetic medicine yet invented can deliver the superior, long-lasting results of a surgical face lift,” says Dr Marcells.

One area that fillers can’t help is the neck. Loose, banded skin and skin that has lost its elasticity cannot be treated with injectables. “For fillers to work, they must have some structure to push against,” reports The New York Times. “Skin lacking collagen and elasticity, like severely sun-damaged skin, won’t lift.”

Another downside to repeated filled injections is the long-term effect. To maintain results, more and more filler needs to be injected into skin pockets, which have stretched due to previous injections. “Ultimately, this can lead to an unnatural look where the cheeks are disproportionately prominent compared to a patient’s lower face,” explains Dr Marcells.

When Fillers Fail – The Deep Plane Facelift Wins

Dr Marcells prefers the deep plane facelift to other face lift techniques because it produces a long-lasting, natural-looking result. A deep plane facelift, as its name suggests, lifts the deeper layers of your face to

• Tighten muscles
• Reposition excess skin
• Remove excess skin

“This approach allows the whole face to be lifted, which provides better definition to the jaw, neck and cheekbones, too,” says Dr Marcells. He often combines liposuction with a deep plane left to rejuvenate the neck and jowls provide a better contour to the chin.

Let Us Find What Your Face Needs

If you’d like to make changes to your face, from subtle to dramatic, we want to help. Contact our offices and schedule a consultation. It’s about more than saving face…it’s about feeling beautiful.