What Is Facelift Surgery?
Face Lift, Facial Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgeon, Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery Blogs, Wrinkle Removal Comments (0)
Rhytidectomy, or more commonly referred as facelift in cosmetic plastic surgery, is a cosmetic procedure designed to remove or at least reduce the visible signs of aging such as wrinkles, nose-and-mouth lines, sagging in the mid face, loss of muscle tone especially in the lower face creating the appearance of jowls, loss of volume, and fats that have fallen.
Los Angeles plastic surgeons today are using different kinds of facelift techniques since every patient has a varying degree of sagging and location of wrinkles and facial lines. In this way, they can provide the most natural-looking result and not the dreaded “windswept” appearance caused by over-correction or over-pulling of the skin.
For patients aged 50 and older, the most recommended technique for them is the SMAS facelift in which doctors raise the superficial top layers of the skin and the deeper facial and neck tissues. With this approach, there will be a “strong” support to the new, higher position which means that the result can last longer, perhaps eight to 15 years without any “touch ups.”
During the SMAS lift, plastic surgeons create an incision above the hairline near the temple. This travels downward and reaches the front and back of the ear so that doctors can elevate the deeper layers of tissues and remove or tighten the part that is causing the sagginess.
Although the SMAS lift is notable for its ability to provide a drastic change, it is too extensive for younger individuals whose signs of visible aging are less noticeable. With this consideration, doctors in LA plastic surgery are using “isolated” facelift procedures which are less invasive and involve fewer incisions and faster recovery.
For patients aged 40 and younger, perhaps the most popular “isolated” technique is the mid facelift which eliminates these early signs of aging: mouth-and-nose lines, sagging lower eyelids, drooping cheek pads, and downturned lips. According to Los Angeles plastic surgeons, it is important that the patients have no jowling (excess skin and fats in the chin and jaw) and loose skin in the neck to enjoy the full benefits of this surgical approach.
As a minimally invasive surgery, mid facelift involves shorter incisions compared to a more extensive approach. And to further shorten the length of the surgical cut, some doctors have started using an endoscope, a lighted camera attached to a flexible probe that allows them to see the underlying muscles.
This instrument may be inserted in several small incisions made hidden in the lower lash line or behind the hairline near the temple.
Cosmetic Surgery Blogger @ October 18, 2011