What To Know About Facelifts

Joseph W. Rucker, MD, FACS

Patients can be confused by the different procedures offered. Just the word "facelift" can be intimidating, because it implies that the whole face is lifted. In the majority of limited-facial procedures that I have performed the main objective has been to produce a more natural result. My goal is to make the patient look like a younger version of themselves. It is imperative that the patient not look done after the procedure.

It is important to consider:

• The specific areas that you want to improve
• How much time you have for recovery
• Your expectations for post-facelift appearance

Types of Facelift Surgery

Lower (Standard) Facelift: Rejuvenates the lower third of the face; tightening the face’s underlying structures that slacken with age, forming jowls and a fleshy neck. The procedure trims excess skin, smoothing it to eliminate facial creases, giving a visual lift to the bottom third of the face.

Mid Facelift: As people age, the cheeks and eyelids tend to sag. This procedure restores a youthful, rested look to the lower eyelids and cheeks.

Mini ’Weekend’ Facelift: Performed quickly with a shorter recovery period, the procedure enhances key facial areas. However, the ’weekend facelift’ is a minor surgical procedure. Results are much less impressive than a standard facelift.

Thread Facelift: This approach is much less invasive. and has come under criticism for not producing the results as promoted. I do not offer this technique because of the questionable level of improvement.

Non-surgical alternatives to surgical facelift: These include laser facelift, dermal fillers, liposculpture of the face and neck and products that firm and tone the skin.