Facelift

Special circumstances for patients.

We individualize every surgical procedure depending on the desired results and anatomic characteristics of our patients. Some special situations are discussed in patients with thin faces, those with large cheeks, those with early aging, and those with deflation of the face.

Facelift in patients with thin faces.

A special set of patients that may require individualized treatment is the patient with the thin face. In general, a thin face patient has deflation of the face with loss of the natural fat volume, delicate bones, and thin skin that also has atrophied over the years. These individuals will likely require a facelift performed either as a standard or a mini incision, depending on how saggy the face and neck, have become.

The SMAS is treated with especially delicate techniques in these patients and may require direct suture suspension. Preservation of all the facial fat is essential to achieve a natural result. Any fat removal thins out the face even more than at presentation. The deflation of the facial tissues has to be addressed. Recommendations my be made for the addition of silicone facial implants in the chin and/or cheeks. The addition of fat grafting to the laugh lines may be of significant benefit to these patients in restoring a healthier appearance to the face and neck.

Details about the Mini facelift.

The Mini facelift is a very popular plastic surgery procedure in Arizona. The procedure is different from the standard facelift, in that it significantly reduces the length of associated incisions, shortens the length of the operation and increases the rate of recovery. Importantly, the Mini facelift technique completely avoids the use of an incision in the hair-bearing scalp behind the ear. The only incisions are in the temple, front and behind the ears. In the Mini facelift, the skin and deeper layers of the face are freed and pulled into a more youthful position.

The amount of surgery that is performed is less when compared to the standard facelift. This reduces the length of the operation, the recovery involved and the amount of swelling and bruising. Patients may return to their routine lifestyle sooner. The Mini facelift is an operation designed to lift the lower third of the face, the jaw line, and jowls. It has a smaller effect on the neck. The Mini facelift is therefore best applied in patients with early or premature facial aging. The incisions are hidden under hair and in the natural folds in front and behind the ear.

The limitations of the Mini facelift occur in that it cannot effectively lift a very saggy face and neck. It is best used for individuals with early to moderate sagginess of the face and mild looseness of the neck. Other treatments or lifts may be recommended to rejuvenate the upper face and temples. The results of surgery are natural, subtle, but not necessarily drastic. An improvement is seen in the jowls and nasolabial folds. The nasolabial folds are not completely corrected with Mini facelift, and fat grafting may be recommended as a filler to obtain a more impressive result.

Facelift in patients with large cheeks.

Another set of special patients the may require additional treatment in combination with facelift are those with large, round cheeks. These patients, often times, have accessory fat pads in the neck, jowls and cheeks. A standard or mini facelift technique may be combined with liposuction of the neck and jowls. A buccal fat excision, performed through incisions inside the mouth can remove a significant fat pad from the cheek. The SMAS is lifted and held in its new youthful location.

The overall effect of the operation is to rejuvenate the outward aspect of the face, but also to give the face a thinner appearance. The cheek volume appears reduced and the face develops an improved contour. The buccal fat excision, which reduces the so called "chipmunk" cheeks, and the liposuction of the neck and face are the keys to reducing the overall fat volume. The fat pad inside the cheek is of significant size in these patients and removing it, usually makes an important difference. The incision inside the mouth, heals quickly, and is not noticeable, requiring little care.

Treatment for deflation of the face.

When the face becomes deflated from weight loss, illness and/or as a result of natural aging, restoration of facial volume is going to become critically important in obtaining a natural result. Fat tissue transfer has been studied extensively by plastic surgeons and reliable techniques have been developed that can improve the results of this surgery. Fat transfer for replacement of lost volume must be accomplished using a reliable technique. The best known procedure is the micro fat transfer technique.

This micro fat transfer technique allows for the fat cells to be accepted better in the area of injection and to establish a better oxygen and nutrient supply. The closer the injected fat cells are to a nutrient source, the better the chances these fat cells will survive the transfer from one part of the body to another. Our technique is gentle and optimizes the outcome of fat grafting for facial rejuvenation.

Fat transfer can be safely combined with traditional techniques to enhance your appearance after mini or standard facelift. The transfer of fat can be accomplished in a relatively short amount of time and does not add significantly to the time spent under anesthesia. Fat grafting can also be used alone and can deliver very good results with significant reduction of laugh lines and general filling of deflated areas.