Alternatives to a face lift

A facelift, like any decision to have surgery, is a big decision. But it can be very beneficial a procedure to restore the appearance of youth to your face, and tighten skin and underlying fatty tissue and muscles beneath the neck and face. Typically, a face lift is a good option when you have sagging or excess skin along the jaw line and lower face. A facelift can help to rejuvenate these areas and turn back the clock.

But if you don't wish to have surgery, there are at least some alternatives that can help. If you are seeking a facelift simply to alleviate lines around the mouth, fill hollows, and create fullness where there is currently excess skin, filler options may work well for you.

One popular filler is Juvederm, and there are also fillers like Restylane, Perlane, Sculptra, ArteFill and others. Another option is a combination of Botox and a facial filler. Obviously the type of filler you choose will depend on your unique issues, as each filler is not a fix all for everything. It's also important for you to take care of the A,B,C's of proper skin care. That includes hydration, sunscreen, proper eating and exercise, and hygiene as well.
 

For some patients there is no best alternative. To get what they want they need a face lift. For others there are a range of non surgical treatments that can rejuvenate the face very effectively and very safely. Often the face lift is combined with these non surgical treatments.

As we age we accumulate a set of visual clues to how old we are. These clues have multiple causes and have a very gradual onset.

Some of these visual clues are the result of environmental injury to the skin. This is mostly the consequence of sun exposure, but cigarette smoking and air pollution hurt too.

Environmental (UV light) injury causes the skin to become irregularly discolored with red and brown dyschromias. These color changes can add up to 20 years to the aged appearance of the face.

Another effect of sun injury is that the skin becomes loose and wrinkle prone due to disorganization of elastic fibers and loss of collagen. This is called solar elastosis. Facial muscles that continually compress this damaged skin cause permanent wrinkles to form.

As we age we loose volume in the face; there is atrophy of bone fat and muscle. This, combined with gravity and loose wrinkle prone skin, creates deep folds and furrows in the skin.

There is probably no single treatment that attacks all of these accumulated visual clues of age so a combination is needed.

Tailoring the combination to the needs and desires of the patient is the job of the treating physician.

Some of the combinations are the use of a neuromodulator like Botox to weaken or relax the wrinkle producing muscles, along with a volume replacing filler like hyaluronic acid to re-inflate the atrophied tissues.

The skin itself can be improved as well. IPL or Intense Pulsed Light will smooth out the irregular discolorations and brighten the skin to restore the youthful glow. Laser resurfacing with a fractionated CO2 laser like Active FX restores texture and tightens the skin by stimulating collagen production.

It is by the judicious of multiple non surgical treatments that we can frequently for stall or avoid a face lift.

Once again, the treatment must be tailored to the individual patient's circumstances.

If an individual has truly sagging cheeks and jowls and a similar hanging, sagging “turkey gobbler” neck, then a well done face and neck lift is the most effective treatment.  One that will last six to ten years.

While nothing can replace facelift is someone who really needs it, there are finally viable alternatives for those that are not yet ready for the surgery.  The best results are achieved by combining the incredible Titan laser with other lasers and adding Botox and fillers as needed.  These Titan combination procedures are commonly called "3D" and "5D".  In our Rejuvenation Center, we first do a Visia skin analysis and do a pre-rejuvenation skin treatment, which includes a deep cleaning facial and microdermabrasion.  A plan is designed for each patient which includes home care with products selected for each individual.  We have come a long way in the field of non-surgical rejuvenation and this is only good news for patients.

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