Face Lift – Looking Younger
Face lift requests invariably raise the question – Which part of the face needs to have repair work done on it? Most patients have only a vague idea of how a face lift will make them look younger. However, the face can be divided into 4 parts. A full face lift will address problems in all the four areas, including: the upper face – forehead and upper eyelids, the mid face – cheeks and lower eyelids, the lower face – jaw line, mouth and lips, and the neck area. A lower face lift is often combined with a neck lift.
When the forehead is lifted, it smooths wrinkles, but also removes excess skin and lifts the upper eyelids in the process. A forehead lift or brow lift is usually done with an endoscope leaving minimal scars but correcting most of the skin excess in the upper eyelid. Forehead wrinkles can temporarily be treated with Botox.
The mid-face lift tightens the skin over the cheek bones down to the corners of the lips. The tissues are suspended to a fixed point above the cheekbone, giving the cheeks a fuller, younger look and pulling the skin up and away from the nose and mouth to ease the look of a marionette mouth.
A lower face lift adds definition to the jawline ridding the face of the jowls that signal advancing age. Scars are positioned and hidden in front of the ear. If combined with a neck lift, the face becomes much younger and healthier looking. The lip area is also considered a part of a lower face lift. The lips often thin as we age, leaving lines around the mouth, especially for people who smoke. Lip augmentation performed with fillers or fat injections will plump the lips, but will also ease the lines around the lips. Plumper lips look younger and make the area around the mouth look younger too.
The neck area is often identified as aging a person, especially if a face lift is performed without tending to the tell-tale aging of the neck. Usually, as the jowls and any sagging skin and fat that contributes to a “double” chin is re-mediated, the neck can also be smoothed out by removing any excess skin and fat that causes a the horizontal wrinkles that occur as we age. Combining a neck lift with a lower face lift brings back a freshness to the face that comes from tightening the skin on the jowls, chin and neck.
The last area of the face that should be considered is the skin, especially when there is substantial sun damage. Exposure to the sun damages skin in many ways, including emergence of age spots and loss of the skin’s elasticity which causes premature and rapid wrinkling.
Many skin treatments have been developed to combat these issues including laser resurfacing treatments, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion. Many of these treatments help the body rebuild the collagen that keeps the skin smooth and young looking. Your doctor can help by suggesting a treatment that will work with your face.
A full face lift combines many different procedures. Often only one or two areas on the face need to have some help, rather than the entire face. Examine each part of your face closely and see which areas need to be rejuvenated, then discuss the best means with your plastic surgeon.
