Let’s face the facts—as we get older, our appearance can suffer, including a once much more youthful-looking mug.
Because the face is what often creates an impactful first impression, facelifts remain popular cosmetic surgery procedures because of their trusted and lasting results.
Aging can cause sagging necks and jowls along with deep facial creases and folds. Thankfully, modern-style facelifts focus on tightening and lifting the skin to create more natural-looking results, with less scarring and little downtime.
But you may be surprised to learn that when considering facelifts, you need to research and consider many more than just one option. The best choice depends on what areas you want to target and the desired results.
What facelift is right for you? Let’s explore some of the most common procedures.
Traditional, Full Facelift
This procedure is what most people think of when hearing the term facelift. It benefits patients with moderate to significant facial aging.
A plastic surgeon makes small incisions around the ears and into the hairline, tightens the muscles of the face and neck, and trims the excess fat from the neck and jowls.
In most cases, the traditional facelift offers the most dramatic and long-lasting results.
Endoscopic Brow Lift
If you are dissatisfied with the appearance of your forehead and eye area and long for a solution to correct creases, lift a furrowed or heavy brow and open the eyes, consider an endoscopic brow lift.
Less invasive than the traditional brow lift method, this procedure involves making three to five short incisions behind the hairline and placing an endoscope in one incision to lift the skin and adjust the muscles through the other incisions.
The entire surgery typically takes no longer than two hours, and a full recovery is typically achieved in about two weeks.
Mid-face Lift
This facelift treats the mid-face or cheek area. Candidates are often in the earlier stages of aging and are unhappy with sagging cheeks and deepening nasolabial folds around the nose, but they don’t yet require addressing sagging and wrinkling in the neck and jowls.
Small incisions are made in the hairline above the ears and within the mouth, which allows the surgeon to reposition the fat pads in the cheeks over the cheekbones and tighten the skin.
Neck Lift
If you need to smooth lines, wrinkles, creases, and folds around your neck, learn more about this procedure appropriate for anyone who wants to tighten the often-loosening neck muscles.
Incisions under the sideburns, around the ear and into the hair help the surgeon lift the skin and remove fatty deposits under the chin. Most patients go back to work after a neck lift within one or two weeks.
Liquid Facelift
If your face desperately needs a lift but you are unwilling to go under the knife, injectable fillers that combat wrinkles and plump the skin can provide the perfect solution.
Dermal fillers like Juvederm®, Belotero®, Restylane®, and Voluma® are made of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance found in the body’s connective tissues.
They can treat lines and folds and even stimulate new collagen growth. Results don’t last as long as other types of facelifts, but patients enjoy little to no recovery time and a more immediate change.
Have you been considering a facelift and are interested in learning more? Dr. Kitto can help.
She regularly performs all the procedures listed above and would love to set up a time to discuss which choice will assist you in putting your best face forward. To set up a consultation appointment, call Kitto Plastic Surgery at 804-294-1777.