Recently, we are appreciating that deeper plane face-lifts lead to greater problems of nerve injury and an unnatural “wind-blown” look without much added aesthetic benefit. The minimal incision face-lifts manage to address the mid and lower face and neck without the risks incurred with deeper facelifts. Furthermore, the minimal-incision face-lift is done under local anesthesia, meaning the patient is fully awake. This leads to greatest safety and a shorter recovery period in conjunction with lower cost due to the lack of a hospital stay.

FaceLift

Wrinkles, sagging skin, laxity in the jowls and neck begin to appear after years of exposure to the elements, facial expressions and the natural aging process.

Not long ago, a facelift was considered by many to be reserved for movie stars and celebrities. Today, a facelift, or rhytidectomy, is not just for the rich and famous. It is one of the most well-accepted and most frequently performed cosmetic procedures in the United States. Recent studies have shown that looking good has a direct correlation to higher pay. Today, baby boomers from every walk of life are electing to have a facelift for cosmetic as well as economic reasons.

Look as young as you feel

If you have been considering a facelift to reverse the signs of aging, you should understand what a facelift can and can’t do. Although the incisions made for a facelift are hidden back in your hairline, it does nothing to correct the visible signs of aging in the upper face. A facelift provides an overall lift to the lower third of your face by tightening loose skin in the jowls, neck, and jaw line.

A facelift alone will not remove forehead wrinkles, crow’s feet or bags under your eyes. These areas can, however, be treated at the same time as your facelift. During your initial consultation, your surgeon will discuss your particular condition, your expectations, and the probable outcome of your various treatment options. You will be shown several before and after photographs of patients having similar conditions, and your doctor will explain the details of your procedure. Before and after photos may be taken of your face to document your results.

The procedure

A facelift procedure may be performed in your doctor’s office or in an outpatient surgical facility. Premedication is generally recommended to relax the patient. The procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia with the patient asleep, but can be performed using a local anesthesia. Your surgeon will operate on one side of the face at a time. The incision is placed in the natural crease of the facial skin and begins inside the hairline, in the temple area above and forward of the ear. It continues inside the ear, or in front of the ear around the earlobe and behind the ear. The skin is lifted outward and the surgeon tightens and repositions the underlying muscles and tissues. Excess skin and fat may be removed. The incision is then closed with fine sutures and/or metal clips. If metal clips are used, shaving hair from the incision site may be avoided. A facelift can take between two to four hours depending on the extent of the procedure.

How long will the results last?

Some relaxation of facial tissues will occur during the first few weeks. After that, the aging process continues. Your lifestyle choices, bone structure, skin type, sun exposure and heredity all play a role in determining how many years can be removed and for how long. In general younger patients enjoy longer-lasting results. If you are in your forties, the effects may last up to 10 years. If you are in your sixties, your results may last 5 to 7 years.

What about insurance?

Surgery performed purely for cosmetic reasons may not be covered by your health insurance. However, cosmetic surgeries performed for medical or reconstructive reasons may be covered in part or in whole by your health insurance. It is the patient’s responsibility to check with their insurance provider for information on the degree of coverage. Your doctor will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding payment.

What happens after my surgery?

There will be bruising and swelling that will persist for a few days. Pain is normally minimal and can be controlled with oral medication. Your doctor will take off your bandages in the office in a day or two after surgery. You may then go home, take a shower and wash your hair. Sutures may be removed in stages to minimize scarring.

Healing is a gradual process. After about two weeks you will feel comfortable (with make-up) among strangers. After three weeks you will look and feel confident enough to go out with friends again. Your face will feel completely “normal” in about ten to twelve weeks. Direct sun should be avoided for several weeks. Most patients are delighted with their new, more youthful and relaxed appearance.

S-Lift

Bothered by sagging skin?

Your face provides the world with a lasting impression of who you are and how you feel. But, it doesn't have to tell your age.

For many patients, the "wind-tunnel" look caused by overly taut skin following a facelift is no longer acceptable. They desire a more "natural looking" rejuvenation. Busy patients demand more immediate results with little if any down time, smaller incisions, no visible scars and no potential for hair loss.

Enter the S-Lift

The S-Lift is a mini-facelift that provides an overall lift to your neck and the lower third of your face. Compared to a traditional facelift, it is a quicker operation with fewer complications and a much faster recovery. The S-Lift is particularly well suited for middle-aged and younger patients and can make a dramatic change in the way you look by tightening sagging muscles and skin of the cheeks, chin and neck.

An S-Lift is performed using tumescent local anesthesia and may be combined with facial and neck liposuction. Results from your S-Lift can be further enhanced with subsequent laser resurfacing to smooth wrinkles and provide greater skin contraction.

Who are the best candidates for an S-Lift?

The best candidates for an S-Lift procedure are those patients that:

• are in good health.
• are typically between 30 to 60 years old.
• have mild to moderate lower facial and/or neck laxity.
• have realistic expectations.
• want to stay ahead of the aging process.

The procedure

An S-Lift procedure may be performed in your doctor's office or in an outpatient surgical facility. Pre-medication is generally recommended to relax the patient. An S-Lift is performed using a special anesthetic solution, which is injected in the area forward of the ears. This fluid gently lifts the skin from the underlying tissue.

Operating on one side of your face at a time, your surgeon excises a narrow "S" shaped section of skin from the area forward of your ear. The skin is lifted and the surgeon tightens and repositions the underlying muscles and tissues. Excess fat is removed. The opening is closed using fine sutures. The procedure normally takes less than 2 hours.

What are the main benefits to an S-Lift?

• A natural look
• Quicker recovery time
• Minimal complication risk
• Minimal scars
• No hair loss

Are the results permanent?

Following surgery, the normal aging process resumes. Your lifestyle choices, bone structure, skin type, sun exposure and heredity all play a part in determining how many years can be removed by an S-Lift and for how long. In general, younger patients enjoy longer-lasting results.

How will I look after surgery?

The changes following your S-Lift can be dramatic, as illustrated in these photographs. The use of smaller instruments and fluid to separate the skin from underlying tissue results in an almost bloodless procedure.

After your procedure, you will go home and rest for at least 24 hours. There may be some minor bruising and swelling for a day or two. You will wear a small bandage over the incision site for the next two to three days. Mild pain relievers may be needed. After that, you may take a shower and wash your hair. Men may shave their face. Sutures will be removed after 6-7 days. Direct sun should be avoided for several weeks. Most of our S-Lift patients resume normal activities after 4 to 5 days, some choose to return to work immediately.

Our S-Lift patients love the fact that after their S-Lift they don't look like they had surgery. They just look great and years younger.

Is an S-Lift for you?

If excess or lax facial or neck skin is bothering you, an S-Lift may be your answer.

Facial Surgery - Minimal Incision

In today's fast-paced, competitive society, looks are more important than ever. An employer isn't allowed to ask your age, but in some cases they don't have to. Wrinkles and sagging skin tells them all they need to know. Maybe that's one of the reasons why younger and younger patients are requesting minimal-incision facial surgery.

Minimal-incision facial surgery can make your face look as young as you feel. A forehead lift or browlift can smooth out your wrinkles and correct drooping brows and heavy lids to provide a younger, friendlier appearance. A mid-facelift or cheek lift can remove facial wrinkles and lift sagging cheeks, while a necklift can tighten loose, sagging skin under your chin. These procedures can be performed alone, in combination with laser resurfacing, or as part of a full facelift.

What is Minimal-Incision Facial Surgery?

Minimal-incision or endoscopic surgery is performed using a tiny fiber optic lens inserted through half-inch incisions placed inconspicuously in your skin. The lens is attached to a camera, which is connected to a television, allowing for visualization of the surgery. Additional half-inch incisions are made for the insertion of tiny scalpels, scissors and retractors. Your surgeon performs the procedure while viewing the television monitor and manipulating the tiny instruments externally. Minimal-incision surgery is particularly useful with younger patients, where the removal of excess skin is not required.

The procedures:

A browlift can tighten loose skin, remove excess forehead wrinkles and correct drooping eyelids. It is performed as an out-patient procedure under local anesthesia with deep sedation, or general anesthesia, and can take from 1 to 2 hours. Since a browlift can significantly reduce the frown lines between the eyes, it is frequently performed in conjunction with upper and/or lower eyelid surgery to achieve optimal results.

A mid-facelift can significantly reduce wrinkles, sagging skin or a depressed appearance in the cheeks. It can be performed as an out-patient procedure under local anesthesia with deep sedation, or general anesthesia, and may take from 1 to 2 hours. With a minimal-incision mid-facelift, hair and sensation loss at the incision site are minimized. A mid-facelift is frequently performed in conjunction with eyelid surgery, a browlift or facial implants to achieve optimal results.

The necklift is performed to significantly reduce the appearance of sagging skin under the jaw. It may be performed as an out-patient procedure using local anesthesia with deep sedation, or general anesthesia, and may take from 1 to 1/2 hours. With a minimal-incision necklift, loss of sensation at the incision site is minimized. A necklift is frequently performed in conjunction with a mid-facelift or facial implants to achieve optimal results.

Which procedure is for me?

During your initial cosmetic consultation, your doctor will discuss your goals for the surgery and explain your probable outcome of treatment. Your doctor will also help you to decide which surgical approach will best meet your cosmetic goals: an individual procedure or a combination of procedures. You may be shown several before and after treatment photographs of patients having similar conditions, and your doctor will explain the treatment you can expect to receive. Before and after photos may be taken of your area to be treated to document your results.

What are the benefits of Minimal-Incision Facial Surgery?

• Smaller incisions
• Minimal scarring
• Less bleeding
• Less hair loss
• Minimal numbness
• Quicker recovery

What will recovery be like?

There is a minimal amount of discomfort following your procedure. There will be swelling and bruising that may last from seven to ten days. For some patients, this may include the cheeks and eyelids.

Keeping your head elevated and applying cold compresses will help to reduce swelling. As your incisions heal, you will notice some itching and possibly some numbness. These symptoms will diminish over time. You may wear make-up after three days, and your sutures will be removed in seven to ten days.
Strenuous activity is restricted for six weeks.

Midface Lift

Not long ago, a facelift was the principal means used to restore a youthful appearance to one's face.

Back then, facial surgery was considered reserved for the rich and the old. However, recent studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between looks and higher pay. Maybe that's one of the reasons why we find that younger and younger patients, including men, are requesting cosmetic surgery.

The endoscopic midface lift, or cheek lift, procedure can lift sagging cheeks, smooth out nasal furrows, and pull up the corners of your lips. It can be performed alone, in combination with an endoscopic browlift or laser resurfacing, or as part of a full facelift.

What is an endoscopic midface lift?

Endoscopic or minimal-incision surgery is performed using a tiny fiberoptic lens inserted through half-inch incisions placed inconspicuously in your mouth and temple. The lens is attached to a camera connected to a television, which allows for visualization of the surgery. Your surgeon performs the procedure while viewing the television monitor and manipulating the tiny instruments externally.

Is a midface lift for me?

The midface lift procedure is particularly useful for patients with sagging cheeks, deeper nasal furrows, thinner lips and down-turned corners of the lips. One may simulate the results of this procedure by placing a finger next to the corner of your lip and gently elevating upward and outward.

During your initial cosmetic consultation, your doctor will discuss your goals for the surgery and explain your probable outcome of treatment. Your doctor will also help you to decide which surgical approach will best meet your cosmetic goals - an individual procedure or a combination of procedures. You may be shown several before and after treatment photographs of patients having similar conditions, and your doctor will explain the treatment you can expect to receive. Before and after photos may be taken of your area to be treated to document your results.

The Procedure

An endoscopic midface lift can be performed as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia with deep sedation, or general anesthesia, and may take 1 to 2 hours. A midface lift is performed through tiny incisions placed inconspicuously within the hairline of your temple area and on the inside of the mouth. During the procedure the fat pads of your cheeks will be repositioned up and over the cheekbones where they belong. This redraping will improve the nasal furrows caused by drooping fat pads. A midface lift is frequently performed in conjunction with eyelid surgery, an endoscopic brow lift or a facelift to achieve optimal results.

How is this different from other midface procedures?

Some physicians try to move the nasal furrows and lift up the corners of the lips by pulling sideways. This often results in a pulled, tight, surgical look. The most important aspect of this procedure is that it lifts the cheek tissue vertically, straight up. This reverses the effects of gravity, which pulls straight down. A much more natural, refreshed and youthful appearance is the result.

What are the benefits of endoscopic facial surgery?

The main benefits of endoscopic surgery include: no visible incisions, minimal scarring, less bleeding, no hair loss, minimal numbness and a much quicker recovery when compared to traditional surgical techniques.

What will recovery be like?

Following endoscopic facial surgery there is a minimal amount of discomfort. There will be some swelling and bruising that may last from seven to twelve days. Keeping your head elevated and application of cold compresses will help to reduce swelling. As your incisions heal, you will notice some itching and possibly some numbness. These symptoms will diminish over time. You may wear make-up immediately, and your sutures will be removed in seven to ten days. Strenuous activity is restricted for six weeks.

What other cosmetic procedures can be performed endoscopically?

Depending on the patient, browlifts, facelifts, neck lifts and breast augmentation can all be performed endoscopically.

Trademarks are property of their owners.
B & A photos may not be patients of the doctor featured in this web site.
Your results may differ. Copyright • 2002 • MJD Patient Communications
All rights reserved. Any reproduction in part or whole is strictly prohibited.

Copyright © 2004 Academic Dermatology & Skin Cancer Institute of Chicago