The Surgical Facelift

Artistry _ Advanced Techniques _ Ancillaries

Tuesday July 15th, 2014

The name of our specialty –Plastic Surgery” is derived from the Greek word –plastos”, meaning to reshape or reform. Rather than –lifting only” and look face-lifted a –face lift” should –remold” the face to a more youthful appearance. My approach to the aging face therefore involves a more holistic and aesthetic approach than utilized by most plastic surgeons. Every patient has to be approached in an individualized way based on their uniqueness and their goals.

First of all, the process of aging not only involves sagging skin but all layers of the face including fat, muscles and bone structure tend to atrophy. The first facelift I performed on the first day of my practice reflects artistry and surgical skills I continue to employ today:!

Decades later, I have continued to enhance results by integrating advanced technology and methods. A –Full Surgical Facelift” may include the LJO brow lift, eyelid surgery, nose surgery, neck muscle tightening and most importantly volume replacement. Since most of our faces atrophy and deflate with age, –lifting and filling” has been one of the recent advances.!

Lasers, lifting, lids, stem cells and PRP are often utilized all at the same time with my total face lift patients. Skin tightening and skin removal alone may result in a –tighter look” but not a more youthful appearance. Also, the traditional and more mechanical methods often distort the face resulting in a –taut face lifted” look which may not be correctible. –Less” is obviously –more” in these unfortunate patients.

–The New Facelift in the New Economy” was a title of one my lectures after our economy declined. In recent years, patients are interested in procedures with less expense, less down time and shorter recoveries. This inspired me to develop a totally non surgical approach in the area of facial rejuvenation 3 1/2 years ago. The –Opera Lift” is one of these approaches and includes the use of stem cell fat, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and lasers.

For patients who later decide on a –total surgical face lift” or a –surgical neck lift”, we would then apply a portion of the Opera