When Do I Need A Facelift?

When is it time to get a facelift at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center? A facelift can be forestalled by other procedures such as dermal fillers, Thermage, and Ultherapy. These techniques confer youthful volume and increase collagen growth to fill out wrinkles of a certain depth. Laser resurfacing can also eliminate deeper wrinkles than Thermage or Ulthera. However, a facelift truly corrects for a combination of aging phenomena including  deep nasal labial folds, the formation of jowls and the aging neck.

When you are younger your face is more oval shaped. There appears to be a downward pointing triangle created by the cheek bones and the chin. As gravity and sun damage take their toll on the facial tissues, jowls begin to form. The neck also begins to sag, not just the skin but perhaps also the platysma muscle beneath the skin. Taken together deep nasal labial folds, distinct jowls, and a sagging “turkey waddle” at the neck combine to suggest it may be time for a facelift. Of course the bottom line is how you feel when you look in the mirror. The list above represents what cosmetic surgeons look for. We look to see if less invasive procedures will take care of one or more problems, but when these three features appear together we might suggest a facelift. It is best to correct for as many problems in one procedure as possible. It is also a good idea to think about what you are investing in the long run. We know a facelift will last at least 5 and 1/2 years according to the research.  Also, last year’s study in the journal Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery reported a facelift to make a patient appear on average 7.2 years younger in most cases. Overall participants in the research done at this University of Toronto were judged to look 9 years younger than their age.

Now if you have deep nasal labial folds alone you might want an injectable fillers to add volume and fill those out. A neck lift can even be forestalled by liposuction alone. However, if that so called waddle has formed, it is possible that skin elasticity has been lost. In this case liposuction alone will not help, the skin must also be removed because it has lost the elasticity necessary to adhere to the underlying tissue once the fat has been removed. If you are beginning to form jowls, Thermage or Ultherapy may be helpful. But nothing can beat a facelift to take care of the formation of jowls and a saggy neck  simultaneously.

So the answer to when you need a facelift is when you feel unhappy looking in the mirror,  and when all three symptoms of aging mentioned above are present to the extent that less invasive procedures will not correct for them. Facelifts at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery are carefully planned for your individual needs. No gimmicks, just a long lasting SMAS lower facelift!

Dr. Branman

Call Melinda at the front desk to set up a consultation 501-227-0707