By Lawrence N. Gray, MD
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon since 1985, Atlantic Plastic Surgery Center Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Most people are surprised to learn that the first facelift was performed at the very beginning of the 20th century. By the 1920s it was being performed regularly and on a large scale.
Despite the increasing use of fillers, Botox andother facial injection procedures, a facelift is still considered the gold standard when it comes achieving a refreshed, more youthful appearance that can last a decade or more.
In determining whether you should have a facelift there are many factors. As you can imagine, the actual procedure has undergone many changes and improvements over the decades. There are also many different types of facelift procedures today. One or more is deemed appropriate depending on various issues. These might include mid-face sagging, ?marionette? lines, jowls, double chin or loss of volume.
During consultation, you will learn about the various procedures and what might be right for you. The choice to have a face lift procedure, however, is a personal one that deserves thorough consideration.
You should consider having a facelift when:
- You think the appearance of your face doesn’t accurately reflect your energy and youthfulness.
- Sagging, wrinkles and other signs of facial aging are affecting your social and career objectives
- You don?t think you look like yourself anymore.
- You are in good general health and don?t smoke.
The advantages of a facelift are many. A major one is that you can fix many areas of the face in a single surgery and get long-lasting results. Typical facelifts make patients look 10 to 15 years younger.
Combining procedures
After consultation with a physician, many patients will choose to have an eyebrow lift and neck lift along with their facelift. The facelift primarily concentrates on sagging of the mid face, reduced cheek volume, the deep lines that can form between the corners of the mouth and nose and to some extent the jaw line and double chin.
The neck and eyebrows
Our brow tends to become more horizontal as we age. We also get horizontal lines in our forehead and vertical frown lines between our eyebrows commonly referred to as ?11s.? A brow lift places the eyebrows in a more arched and youthful position, eliminates lines and reduces ?hooding? over the eyes caused by a sagging brow.
A neck lift is appropriate when skin sags in the lower face, there is excess fat under the chin, there is loose neck skin or the ?banding? of muscles create abnormal contours in the neck.
The important thing to understand about any lifting procedure is that it does not stop the aging process. A facelift will never turn you into another person or remake your personality. There will also be downtime for recovery, which varies by procedure. However, if you come to the conclusion that ?it?s time,? a facelift, brow lift or neck lift can help you look younger, boost your confidence and enhance your self-esteem.